Morphological and volatile profiles of Phlomis russeliana and Phlomis armeniaca from Uludağ, Türkiye

The medicinal and aromatic plant species naturally found in Türkiye are particularly noteworthy. Among them, Phlomis L., a genus within the Lamiaceae family, stands out for its numerous species. This study, conducted in Uludağ (Bursa), aimed to analyze the morphological traits, volatile components, ratios, and molecules present in the leaves and flowers of Phlomis russeliana (Sims) Bentham and P. armeniaca Willd. Samples were collected during their flowering period using a random sampling method. Their morphological characteristics were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS software, while the volatile components of the leaf and flower samples were identified through the HS-SPME/GC-MS method. The morphological characteristics of Phlomis russeliana and P. armeniaca were examined in detail. The leaf widths and lengths, petiole lengths, number of flowers, petal lengths, sepal lengths were measured. 32 different components were identified in P. russeliana and 43 different components in P. armeniaca, summing up to 56 different components. The main components identified were caryophyllene (31.6%; 26.4%), (E)-β-farnesene (19.6%; 25.2%), and germacrene-D (25.7%; 16.5%), respectively. Such studies are crucial for enhancing the protection and sustainable management of non-wood forest products, which significantly contribute to our country’s economy and play a pivotal role, especially in rural economies.