The Essential Oil Composition of Anthriscus caucalis M. Bieb. (Apiaceae) Growing Wild in Southwestern Idaho

Background Anthriscus caucalis is a non-native plant in North America with invasive potential. As part of our interests in essential oils of the Great Basin, a wild-growing sample of A. caucalis was collected in southwestern Idaho. Methods The essential of A. caucalis was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatographic methods (GC–MS, GC–FID, and chiral GC–MS). Results The major components in the essential oil were cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (42.3%), myrcene (20.4%), cis-chrysanthenol (6.7%), α-pinene (4.2%), and ( E)-β-farnesene (4.2%). (+)-α-Thujene, (+)-α-pinene, (+)-sabinene, (+)-limonene, (−)-β-phellandrene, (−)-bornyl acetate, (−)-( E)-β-caryophyllene, and (−)-germacrene D were the predominant enantiomers in the essential oil. Conclusion The essential oil composition of A. caucalis from Idaho is similar to those from Europe, but markedly different from A. caucalis from China. The enantiomeric distributions are comparable to those reported in other essential oils of the Apiaceae.