The Sicilian (Italy) accession of <i>Echinops spinosissimus</i> Turra subsp. <i>spinosissimus</i> : the essential oil chemical composition of its aerial parts

The genus <i>Echinops</i> L. (Asteraceae) is geographical widely distribution across Mediterranean area, Africa, and Asia. <i>Echinops spinosissimus</i> Turra is a perennial herbaceous plant and it is divided into eight subspecies. This species is native to south-eastern Europe, northern Africa, and southwest Asia. Chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) from the aerial parts of a Sicilian accession of <i>E. spinosissimus</i> subsp. <i>spinosissimus</i>, investigated for the first time in this study, was evaluated by gas chromatography (GC-MS). The EO (<i>Ess</i>) was characterised by good amounts of monoterpenoids (49.5%), with linalool as main constituent (13.1%), and carbonylic compounds (20.5%). An update of the composition of all the EOs of <i>Echinops</i> species was carried out and their composition have been compared with the results obtained from the Sicilian accession of <i>E. spinosissimus</i> subsp. <i>spinosissimus</i>.