Diversity in Essential Oil Compounds in Relation to Different Geographic Origins and Plant Organs of Salvia sharifii

Medicinal and aromatic plants are rich in active substances that represent many medicines. Climatic factors and ontogenetic growth stages affect the quantity and quality of these costly materials. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the geographic origins and the different plant organs (leaves, flowers and stalks) of Salvia sharifii Rech. f. & Esfand., an endemic aromatic herb in the south of Iran, essential oil in three different natural habitats. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation using Clevenger type apparatus and analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The highest essential oil content was obtained in flower (1.2%) and stalk (0.7%) of S. sharifii in Sirmand population. Also, in the latter plant organ, the highest essential oil content was observed in Abmah population (1.1%). Essential oils were characterized by the domination of sesquiterpenes (37.92 ‒84.40%), followed by monoterpenes (13.42‒58.86%). Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the essential oil identified 58 constituents that varied with plant origin and organ. Results revealed that the main essential oil constituents in S. sharifii were linalool, hexyl-2-methyl butyrate, caryophyllene, sclareol oxide, agarospirol and hexyl caprylate in different plant organs and natural habitats. The variations among natural populations of S. sharifii showed that add to the impact of plant inheritance, it conjointly encompasses a high adaptation potential so that a variety of climatic conditions like temperature, altitude and rainfall are among different populations.