Résumé
Citrus fruits of the subgenus Papeda include little-exploited wild forms with a potentially large and original aromatic diversity. The essential oils obtained from peels and leaves of the following seven species of the Citrus subgenus Papeda,namely: C. hystrix, C. micrantha, C. macroptera, C. ichangensis (3 accessions), C. latipes (2 accessions), C. junos & C. macrophylla, were investigated by GC, GC-MS and 13C NMR spectrometry in order to describe the chemical variability. A total of 60 compounds were identified in peel oils, accounting for 91.6 to 100% of the total peel oil composition. Limonene was the major component in almost all samples, excepted for C. micrantha & C. hystrix oils where β-pinene dominated. Concerning the leaf oils, 76 compounds were identified, accounting for 93.6% to 99.3% of the total composition. Among them, the major components were: citronellal for C. hystrix & C. micrantha; sabinene, linalool and β-pinene for C. macroptera; (E) and (Z) ocimene for two accessions of C. ichangensis, and sabinene for the third accession; limonene, linalool and citronellal for one accession of C. latipes, and γ-terpinene, geranial, neral and β-pinene for the other one; γterpinene, β-phellandrene and p-cymene for C. junos and finally geranial, neral and limonene for C. macrophylla. We highlighted here a strong chemical diversity not only among the sections of the subgenus Papeda, but also between the species of these sections, and even at an intraspecific level.