VOC profiling separates selected Lamiaceae taxa in European study

A study of 14 selected mint family taxa found that profiles of volatile organic compounds could distinguish plants according to their taxonomic classification. The samples came from Central and Southern Europe. Multivariate analysis grouped the taxa according to their classifications, supporting the use of the method as a complementary chemotaxonomic tool rather than a standalone replacement for formal botanical classification.

The investigators extracted volatile organic compounds from plant material with HS-SPME and then analyzed them by GC–MS. The analysis detected 94 compounds across several chemical groups: fatty acid derivatives, alcohols, hydrocarbons, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, phenylpropanoids and isoprenoids. The number of volatiles recorded in the investigated plants varied by genus, with 24 detected in Lamium , 56 in Salvia , 59 in Stachys and 43 in Betonica .

Leaves consistently yielded rich volatile-compound profiles and were identified as suitable material for comparative analyses across the taxa. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis showed strong agreement in classifying the samples. The taxa clustered according to their taxonomic relationships, indicating that the chemical profiles carried a signal associated with classification.

Hierarchical cluster analysis also found greater phytochemical similarity between Salvia and the Stachys / Betonica group than between Salvia and Lamium . Plants within a genus showed similarity irrespective of geographic origin, although the study covered a selected set of taxa from two European regions rather than a comprehensive sampling of the family. The authors also identified genus-specific markers of chemical diversification and compounds with high discriminatory value, features they said could help distinguish taxa at the species or subspecies level.

Chemical variation also appeared within each of the four genera. The researchers identified three distinct chemotypes in every studied genus, showing that plants grouped under the same genus did not all share one volatile-compound profile. The results show that HS-SPME–GC–MS combined with multivariate statistics can organize Lamiaceae samples into taxonomic groups and reveal chemical diversification within genera.

Because the evidence comes from 14 selected taxa, the findings do not establish how the method will perform across the wider family or whether it can resolve every taxonomic boundary on its own. Overall, the study presents plant volatiles as a complementary layer of evidence for plant classification. Its most directly supported result is not that scent can replace botanical description, but that solvent-free VOC profiles, when combined with statistical analysis, tracked the taxonomic placement of the sampled plants and exposed multiple chemical forms within each genus.

For the investigated Central and Southern European Lamiaceae, leaves provided information-rich profiles that allowed researchers to connect volatile chemistry with classification at species or subspecies level.

Subject of Research: Chemotaxonomic discrimination of selected Lamiaceae using volatile organic compound profiles

Article Title: HS-SPME/GC-MS as a chemotaxonomic tool: a study on selected Lamiaceae species

Article References: Afzal, T., Łyczko, J., & Proćków, J. (2026). HS-SPME/GC-MS as a chemotaxonomic tool: a study on selected Lamiaceae species. BMC Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09898-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-026-09898-5

Keywords: Lamiaceae, chemotaxonomy, volatile organic compounds, HS-SPME, GC–MS, plant classification, chemotypes, multivariate analysis, mint family, GC-MS, chemotaxonomic, tool