Comparative essential oil composition of different vegetative parts of Hedychium spicatum Smith. from Uttarakhand, India

The volatile essential oil constituents of leaves, rhizomes and roots of Hedychium spicatum Smith. from Uttarakhand, India, were analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry (MS). A total of 39 constituents accounting for 78.7-96.4% of the oils were identified. The essential oils of the roots and rhizomes were marked by the presence of high amount of oxygenated monoterpenoids (60.9% and 65.9%, respectively). The most abundant oxygenated monoterpenoid of these oils was 1,8 cineole (48.7% and 64.0%, respectively). However, leaf oils obtained from two distinct locations, viz. "Song" and "Bhowali" were rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons (β-pinene 40.9%, α-pinene 9.6%) and oxygenated monoterpenoids (1,8 cineole 34.2%), respectively.