Abstract: The chemical constituents of the leaf volatile oils collected by steam distillation from Araucaria heterophylla,Araucaria bidwillii and Agathis dammara have been identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. In the leaf volatile oil from A. heterophylla, 36 components were identified, accounting for 98.21% of the total peak area. The oil consisted mainly of β-pinene (35.38%) and rimuene (33.57%). In the leaf volatile oil from A. bidwillii, 27 compositions (corresponding to 96.68% of the total peak area) were identified. The major composition of A. bidwillii oil was hibaene (77.88%). 37 constituents were identified, constituting 97.44% of the total peak area in the leaf volatile oil from A. dammara. Β-cubebene(56.34%) was the major component. Beside terpenoid, there were alkane, alcohol and ketone etc in the leaf volatile oil from three Araucariaceae. There were a few aldehyde, ether and ester in A. dammara yielded oil, and furan in A. heterophylla yielded oil. The results showed that 9 components (α-pinene, limonene, α-caryophyllene, γ-muurolene, β-cubebene, cadinene, spathulenol, α-cadinol and 2-pentadecanone, 6, 10, 14-trimethyl-) were in common, but there was significant difference among the major constituent and the content of the leaf volatile oil from A. heterophylla,A. bidwillii and A. dammara, respectively.

Key words: Araucariaceae, volatile oil, chemical constituent, GC-MS