The Annonaceae family, with a predominantly arboreal and bushy habit, consists of 130 genera and 2500 species. It has a pantropical distribution and about 30 genera in the Amazon. Annona, Xylopia, Duguetia and Guatteria are the most representative. The Cananga and Ylang-ylang oils (Cananga odorata var. macrophylla and C.odorata var. odorata) from Asia are commercially important and are used in fine perfumes, for example Chanel 5. A group of researchers from the Botany Department of MPEG is promoting the botanical and chemical survey of the Amazonian aromatic flora. As a research fellow engaged in the activities of the group, I was responsible for contributing to the study of the essential oil of Xylopia cayennensis Maas (sample A: 0.5%), Guatteriajuruensis Diels (sample B: 0.1%), X. nitida Dunal (sample C: 0.6%), X. emarginata Mart. (sample D: bark, 0.1%; sample E: leaves, 0.3%) and Guatteriopsis blepharophylla (Mart.) R.E. Fries (sample F:0.5%), aiming their chemiosystematic knowledge and biological activities. The plants were collected at the Mocambo Reserve, CPATU/EMBRAPA, and at the Ananim Village, in Peixe-Boi. The essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) to identify their volatile constituents. The main components of X.cayennensis leaf oil were: spatulenol (35.4%), a-pinene (19.2%) and b-pinene (18.7%); of G.juruensis leaf oil, spatulenol (77.1%); of X.nitida leaf oil, g-terpinene (44.1%), p-cymene (13.7%) and a-terpinene (12.6%); of X. emarginata were myrtenal (30.2%), verbenone (16.9%) and (E)-pinocarveol (9.6%) and from the leaves was spatulenol (73.0%); from the wood oil of Guatteriopsis blepharophylla were spatulenol (21.5%) and an isomer of a-humulene (55.1 %). It was observed that the oils of the species studied contain only mono- and sesquiterpenes, a characteristic of Cananga oils. The biological assays for fungicide and insecticide activity are being completed with the participation of Dr. Cleber Bastos, phytopathologist at CEPLAC. PPG-7/European Community.
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