The chemical composition of the essential oils of three species of Piper, namely Piper arboretum subsp arboretum, P. dilatatum and P. hispidum, from the Cerrado (Brazillian savannah) was determined and compared with the composition of the oils from the same species collected in the Atlantic Rain Forest. Analyses were performed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry using a HP5 capillary column. Sesquiterpenes were the major constituents of the oils. In P. arboreum subsp arboreum, bicyclogermacre (12.1%), 10-epi-g-eudesmol (11.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (10.1%) were the main constituents. For P. dilatatum cis-b-ocimene (19.6) and b-caryophyllene (11.3%) were the major compounds. The main components in P. hispidum oil were b-pinene (19.7%) and a-pinene (9.0%).
Piper arboreum subsp arboretum; Piper dilatatum; Piper hispidum; essential oil; Brazillian savannah; Atlantic rain forest
