Taxonomical studies on Seseli elatum L. and allied species. 2

Abstract
The composition of essential oil of the three populations of Seseli elatum agg. present in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (NE Italy) was investigated by GC-MS. Thirty one terpenes were present, and twenty three have been identified. The composition of the essential oils is quantitatively and qualitatively different in the various organs of the three populations (leaves, stems, inflorescences, fruits). The degree of chemotaxonomic similarity between the three populations has been quantified by cluster analysis. Through the assessment of the chemical characters, the remarkable affinity between the two prealpines populations and their very low similarity to the Karst population has been confirmed.