Chemotaxonomic investigation of some Teucrium L. (Lamiaceae) species

In this study, chemotaxonomical relationships between four species (T. chamaedrys, T. multicaule, T. polium and T. parviflorum) belongs to the genus Teucrium were investigated. Plant samples of these species were collected from the Elazığ and its vicinity. The aerial parts of these plant samples were hydrodistilled by using clevenger aparatus to obtain essential oils and the yields of these oils were measured.GC (Gas chromatography) and GC-MS (Gas Chromatograpgy ? Mass spectroscopy) system were used to determine the qualitative and quantitative essential oil composition of Teucrium species studied. The major compounds of the Teucrium species were determined as in germacrene D ? (%32.1), ?? caryophyllene (%14.2), ?? cadinene (%13.1), bisicyclogermacrene (%6.7) T.chamaedrys in, ??? fellendrene (%25.3), metil eugenol (%25,1), germacrene D (%19.0), bisicyclogermacrene (%4.8) T. parviflorum in, ?? pinene (%18.3-10.2), ?? pinene (%15.8-8.9), germacrene D (%6.7 -10.1) ve ?? caryophyllene T. Polium and caryophyllene occid (%32.1), timol (%14.2), ?? terpineol (%11.7), spathulenol (%8.6) T. multicaule. It is found that there were more qualitative and quantitative differences among the Teucrium species essential oils studied. Except from the T. Polium , it is said that the other 3 Teucrium species essential oils has more sesquiterpenes than monoterpenes. The cluster analysis was performed to evaluate the infrageneric relationships among the Teucrium taxa studied. The results were discussed in view of chemotaxonomical relationships and also the distribution of the essential oil components within these species and genus patterns.Key words: Teucrium, Lamiaceae, Kemotaksonomi and GS-MS