Chemical composition of essential oil from tagetes minuta L. leaves and flowers

the essential oil composition of wild tagetes minuta l., collected from different locations in the province of chaco (argentine) was studied. essential oils of flowers and leaves of bloomed and non-bloomed plants were analyzed by means of gas ghromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. six main components were identified. essential oil from non-bloomed plant leaves contained mainly dihydrotagetone, while the essential oil from bloomed plants leaves as well as from flowers, were rich in b-ocimene and tagetenone. the essential oil composition of tagetes minuta l. varies according to the different parts of the plant and its growth stage but does not differ with respect to the origin of the material.