Ayla Kaya,* Betul Demirci and K. Husnu Can Bas¸er

Abstract: Microdistilled essential oils from flowers (A) and fruits (B) of Scandix iberica Bieb. were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 29 and 27 compounds were identified representing 99.3% and 99.4% of the flower and fruit oils, respectively. The main constituent was found to be methyl chavicol (85.8-90.5 %) in both cases.

The Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) family is one of the best known families of flowering plants because of its characteristic inflorescences and fruits, its diverse chemistry reflected in the odor, flavor and even toxicity of many of its species. It contains about 300 genera and 2500-3000 species throughout the world (1). It comprises cosmopolitan plants, mainly herbaceous, which grow chiefly in North temperate regions. This family also contains a number of plants of economic importance (2,3). The genus Scandix belongs to the Umbelliferae family and is represented by eight species and nine taxa in the Flora of Turkey. Scandix iberica Bieb. is an annual herb, + glabrous 10-20(35) cm in height and much branched. Rays (3) 4-9, sepals absent, petals white, outer clearly radiant. Fruit linear, + terete, glabrous to densely strigose, with a long beak that is always ciliate. It grows on limestone slopes, grassy slopes, steppe and cultivated land and at 500-2000 m altitudes and widespread in Anatolia (4). To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous publication on the composition of the oil of S. iberica.