The Chemical Variability of Ocimum Species

SURMMARY The composition of the essential oils of samples from the Ocimum gene bank collection (about 270 accessions) of the Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research Gatersleben was investigated. The main components in the essential oils found were linalol (max. 71%), methyl chavicol (max. 92%), citral (max. 80%) and 1,8 cineole (max. 25%) as well as camphor (max. 63%), thymol (max. 35%), (E)-methyl cinnamate (max. 77%), eugenol (max. 80%), methyleugenol (max. 79%), methyl isoeugenol (max. 36%) and elemicin (max. 47%).