Aroma profile and morphological analysis of Salvia broussonetii Benth

Salvia broussonetii Benth. (Lamiaceae) is a rare shrubby perennial species endemic to Canary Islands; in particular, it grows in Tenerife and Lanzarote preferentially on the basaltic rocks of ocean cliffs (Clebsch and Barner 2003). Previous phytochemical investigations on S. broussonetii referred to the isolation of triterpene compounds from the plant aerial parts (Gonzalez et al. 1971, 1972a, b), besides the triterpene (Fraga et al. 1991) and diterpene (Fraga et al., 2005) profiles from hairy root cultures. The volatile profiles of the species, as well as the study of the glandular indumentum have been neglected so far. The main objective of the present investigation is, therefore, the characterization of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) spontaneously emitted by the leaves and the flowers, and the evaluation of the essential oil (EO) profile obtained from the aerial parts. In addition, we correlated these productivity to the secreting structures.