Essential oil composition of indigenous populations of Hypericum perforatum L. from southern Albania

The aim of this study was to investigate the yield and chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) isolated from over-ground parts of different populations of Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) (HP) from southern Albania. The EO yield of 11 specimens of indigenous populations of HP ranged from 2.50 ml/kg to 11.00 ml/kg. GC/FID/MS analyses of the EOs revealed a total of 126 identified compounds representing 77.35–88.29% of the oils. Based on the prevalence of principal components, two types of EO were distinguished: pinene-type, which included seven populations with EO rich in α-pinene, and caryophyllene-type, which included four populations with EO rich in trans-(E)-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide. The information obtained can help to assess the potential of the studied Albanian populations for further sustainable wild exploitation to take it into a consideration as a resource of valuable genetic material or for further cultivation and breeding.aim of this study was to investigate the yield and the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) isolated from over ground parts of different populations of Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) (HP) from southern Albania. The EO yield of 11 specimens of indigenous populations of HP ranged from 2.50 ml/kg to 11.00 ml/kg. GC/FID/MS analyses of the EOs reviled a total of 126 identified compounds representing 77.35-88.29 % of the oils. Based on prevalence of the principal components two types of EO were distinguished:  pinene type that include 8 populations with EO reach in α-pinene and caryophyllene type that include 3 populations with EO rich in trans-(E)-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide. Obtained information can help to assess the potential of studied Albanian populations for further sustainable wild exploitation as well as can be taken into a consideration as a resource of valuable genetic material for further cultivation and breeding.