Maria Magdalena ZAMFIRACHE⁽¹⁾, Ioan BURZO⁽²⁾, Irina GOSTIN⁽¹⁾, Marius STEFAN⁽¹⁾, Claudia PADURARIU⁽¹⁾, Zenovia OLTEANU⁽¹⁾, Monica Luminita BADEA⁽²⁾, Carmen LAMBAN⁽³⁾, Elena TRUTA⁽⁴⁾, Lacramioara  IVANESCU⁽¹⁾ & Dumitru COJOCARU^(1)
(1)“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Faculty of Biology, Blv. Carol I, No. 20 A, 700506 – Iasi, Romania, magda_zamfirache@yahoo.com
⁽²⁾Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine University of Bucharest, Faculty of Horticulture, Romania;
⁽³⁾Fruit Growing Tree Research Resort from Iasi, Romania;
⁽⁴⁾Biological Research Institute from Iasi, Romania

MICROMORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND BIOCHEMICAL PATTERN OF PEROVSKIA ATRIPLICIFOLIA BENTH., PLANT WITH PHYTOREMEDIATIVE POTENTIAL

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The deciduous semi-woody shrub Perovskia atriplicifolia Benth. (Lamiaceae) is native in the rocky areas of Pakistan, Afganistan, Iran, and Tibet and it is mainly known for the culinary, flavoring and ornamental qualities. The essential oils have pharmacological effects based on the antimicrobial and antimutagenic activity of their constituents. The plant is also cultivated in Europe and recently it was experimentally introduced in Romania, in order to exploit its medicinal valences (based on aerosol properties), the potential as remediative plant and its decorative traits. In this context, a deeper knowledge of the morphology and phytochemical profile of this newly cultivated plant in Romania becomes necessary, knowing that, besides the genetic factors, the environmental conditions and the geographical variation are factors highly influencing the plant morphological and biochemical phenotype. The objective of this approach is, therefore, to analyze some morphological traits and the distribution rate of the volatile oil–producing secretory trichomes on the surface of the aerial vegetative organs (stems and leaves) and reproductive organs (flowers) and to establish the chemical phenotype by analyzing the composition of the volatile oils produced by these organs in anthesis stage. The micromorphological investigations have been carried out using a surface electron microscopy, at a TESCAN VEGA II SBH microscope. The volatile oils extraction was conducted using a Clevenger hydrodistillation system, and the component separation was performed by gas chromatography, with a 6890 Agilent GC/MS. The volatile compound identification was made using the NIST spectral bank and Kovats indexes. In our biological material, grown in the pedoclimatic conditions of Moldova region, the secretory trichomes are multicellular structures, with a specific conformation, in relation to the analyzed plant part. The pattern of volatile oils is variable and the number of constituents depends on the investigated organ. The main compounds of the volatile oil from P. atriplicifolia are the monoterpenes which confer to this plant the role in improving of air quality.