Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil ofPhlomis ferruginea Ten. (Lamiaceae) growing wild in Southern Italy

The essential oil of aerial parts of Phlomis ferruginea (Lamiaceae), growing wild in Southern Italy, was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC and GC–MS. 60 compounds, representing 92.3% of the oil, were identified. The major components were β-caryophyllene (15.6%), hexadecanoic acid (12.8%), germacrene D (8.9%), caryophyllene oxide (6.7%) and α-thujone (5.5%). The evaluation of antimicrobial activity against some bacterial species has been tested. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.