Chemical Composition of Essential Oils Hydrodistilled from Aerial Parts of Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch. Bip. and Achillea santolina L. (Asteraceae) Growing in Jordan

Chemical composition of essential oils hydrodistilled from aerial parts of Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch. Bip. and Achillea santolina L. growing in Jordan was analysed using GC and GC/MS. The analysis identified 30 compounds in the oil isolated from A. santolina, and 23 and 22 constituents in the oils hydrodistilled from A. fragrantissima collected from north and south Jordan, respectively. Eucalyptol was the chief oil constituent of A. santolina (25.2 %) oil, while, beta-sesquiphellandrene (28.6 %) and alpha-thujone (33.8 %) were the principal constituents of A. fragrantissima oils collected from north and south Jordan, respectively. Achillea santolina oil had a higher overall percentage of monoterpenoid content compared to the oils of A. fragrantissima of north and south Jordan, with oxygenated monoterpenes comprising the largest portion of this monoterpenoid content. On the other hand, essential oils obtained from A. fragrantissima were richer in sesquiterpenoids, with sesquiterpene hydrocarbons constituting the highest percentage of this content.