Abstract: Essential oils from leaves, bark and root of Chinese waxmyrtle (Myrica rubra var. astropurea Tsen), growing wild in Nanling National Nature Reserve, have been analyzed for their chemical composition and investigated for their antioxidant components. The GC-MS analysis as well as comparison of the Kovats retention indices (KI) of elution peaks with literature data were used for compound identification of the essential oils; TLC-screening method was used for analysis of antioxidant components in the oils. The essential oils of M. rubra bark and root are both dominated with 5-hydroxycalamenene (74.66% and 60.32%) and oleic acid (7.74% and 11.39%), respectively, whereas, the leaves oil is constituted mainly by 5-hydroxycalamenene (30.44%), caryophyllene (11.61%), isocaryophyllene (10.17%), (E)-nerolidol (9.57%) and oleic acid (4.40%), respectively. The composition matrixes of the essential oils of M. rubra leaves, bark and root express the differential complexity of secondary metabolites in this species. 5-Hydroxycalamenene is identified as the principal antioxidant in all three essential oils. However, the sesquiterpenes in leaves oil also show positive 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity in certain extent.

Key words: Myrica rubra var. astropurea Tsen, essential oil, Kovats retention index, antioxidant activity