Branches with unripe and ripe berries of Juniperus communis var. communis were collected from two bushes in Druskininkai district in 2004 and 2006. The essential oils of various juniper parts obtained by hydrodistillation were analysed using GC and GC/MS. The essential oil of the wood was investigated in Lithuania for the first time. The essential oils of the needle (leaf), unripe and ripe berry were of α-pinene (42.4–67.4%) chemotype and their composition from both junipers was similar. The amounts of α-pinene in the wood oils (15.9–31.0%) were lower than those in the above-mentioned oils. The composition of the wood essential oils differed from those of other parts of the plants in the amounts of monoterpenoids (≤60.1% and ≥72.8%) and of the compounds with pinane carbon skeleton (≤40.8% and ≥50.9%). Different quantities of monoterpenoids (24.6 and 60.1%), sesquiterpenoids (63.4 and 23.2%), compounds with pinane (17.8 and 40.8%), cadinane (23.8 and 9.5%) and menthane (3.2 and 11.7%) carbon skeletons were found in the essential oils of the wood under study. The most abundant compounds in one wood oil were nootkatone (18.4%), α-pinene (15.9%) and α-cadinol (3.8%) and in the other oil α-pinene (31.0%), p-mentha-1,5-dien-8-ol (4.5%) and δ-3-carene (4.0%). One hundred and thirty three identified constituents comprised 85.4–97.1% of the essential oils.

Keywords: Juniperus communis, Cupressaceae, composition of essential oils, wood, needles, unripe berries, ripe berries, α-pinene, myrcene, nootkatone