Abstract The Genus Chrysophthalmum is represented with three species in Flora of Turkey. In this study, The essential oils obtained from the aerial parts of Chrysophthalmum gueneri Aytac and Anderb, C. dichotomum Boiss. & Heldr. and C. montanum (DC.) Boiss. were analyzed by using GC and GC/MS. Fourty eight, sixty and forty five compounds representing 87.4% , 94.0% and 90.0% of the oil were identified respectively. The main components of the C. gueneri oil were b-pinene (18.7%), 2 methyl butanoic anhydride (14.6%), butanol (12.3%), a-pinene (7.4%) and b-caryophyllene (3.3%). The main compounds of C. dichotomum were butanol (20.2%), cyclohexadecane (13.5%), nerolidol (13.4%), tributyrin (11.2%) t-muurolol (10.9%) and also the major compounds in C. montanum oil were caryophyllene oxide (20.0%), spathulenol (18.2%), acetic acid (10.3%), t-muurolol (9.7%) and a-cadinol (4.9%). This study is the first report on the composition of three species. The chemotaxonomic relationships within the genus Chrysophthalmum have been discussed in detail.
Keywords Chrysophthalmum, Asteraceae, essential oil, GC-MS, chemotaxonomy.