Analysis of Essential Oils from Leaves and Branches of Different Italian Provenances of Pinus nigra Arn.

The chemical composition of the essential oil from branches and leaves of different provenances of Pinus nigra Arn. was determined by GC/MS. The composition of essential oils has been found to vary depending upon the plant part from which it was obtained and the geographical origin. The results of this study showed that oils from Pinus nigra Arn. can be valuable for industrial purposes. The branch oil contained ?-pinene (58.8%) as the major constituent, whereas the needle oil contained ?-pinene (21.4%) and 1-epibicyclosesquiphellandrene (30.4%).