Characterisation of the Essential Oils of some Cultivated Aromatic Plants of Industrial Interest

The compositions of the essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis L, Salvia lavandulifolia V and Lavandula latifolia M, obtained by steam distillation from plants cultivated in the northeast of Spain, have been studied by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The essential oil of rosemary appears to be more complex and richer in flavour notes than other previously studied Spanish rosemary oils, and has an intermediate ratio of α‐pinene and of 1,8‐cineole in relation to essential oils of rosemary of different geographical origins, but higher proportions of camphor, verbenone and linalool. The essential oil of sage has proportions of 1,8‐cineole, camphor, endo‐borneol, trans‐caryophyllene and α‐humulene closer to commercial Salvia officinalis L than to other Spanish sages of different geographical locations, and the difference from commercial Salvia officinalis L is due principally to the higher ratio of terpene hydrocarbons and the lower proportion of thujone in the Spanish sage studied here. The essential oil of the spike lavender has the same main components and similar proportions as other Spanish wild and commercial spike lavender essen‐tial oils, but shows differences in the nature of the minor components (rhodinol fraction).