pharmacognostical study of Myrtus communis L. cultivated in Egypt

The macro- and micromorphology of the root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seed of Myrtus communis L. are presented with view of finding out the diagnostic characters for the identification of these organs in both the entire and powdered forms. The major constituents among components of the volatile oil of the leaf were phellandrene [20%], alpha-thujene [12.8%], cismyrtanol [10%], trans-farnesene [5.9%] and bornyl acetate [5.9%], while beta-caryophyllene [17.8%], methyl eugenol [12.5%], camphor [12.2%], trans-anethole [11.8%] and 1,8-cineole [4.3%] were the major compounds identified in the volatile oil of the flower. Seasonal variation of the volatile oil of the leaf and antimicrobial activity were also investigated