The Asteraceae family is one of the largest on the planet, with about 1,100 genera and 25,000 species, most of them shrubby, semi-shrubby, and herbaceous. Its distribution is very wide and its absence is noticed only in the Antarctic continent. It is very well represented in semi-arid, tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in the Amazon. The aromatic plants group of the Botany Department of MPEG has been surveying the odoriferous flora of the Amazon for about 20 years. A survey of the Asteraceae family was carried out and the volatile components of the species Baccharis tridentata, Cosmus caudatus, Viguiera nervosa, Pectis elongata and Porophyllum ruderale were studied. The essential oils of these species were obtained by hydrodistillation providing the following yields: P.elongata (1.5%), P.ruderale (0.2%), B.tridentata (0.2%), v.nervosa (0.5%) and C.caudatus (0.1 %). These were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, whose volatile components are currently being identified. Partial data from this work will be presented, with emphasis on the data collection, the obtaining of essential oils and a discussion of the chemical composition of essential oils from Amazonian Asteraceae species already worked on by the group. The chemo-systematic study of these plants, based on their chemical composition, will contribute to a better knowledge of the Asteraceae family in the Amazon region.
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