Leaves, immature and mature fruits of seven different accessions of chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus L., Verbenaceae), cultivated at one location, were analysed for their essential oil composition. The main compounds of the essential oil were 1,8-cineole, sabinene, a-pinene, b-phellandrene and a-terpinyl acetate, trans-b-farnesene and bicyclogermacrene. Although the same compounds were present in all plant organs, the leaves differed from the fruits in the concentrations of all compounds except a-terpinyl acetate and manoyl-oxide. The compositions of immature and mature fruits were equal. Two distinct chemotypes (an a-pinene chemotype and an a-terpinyl acetate chemotype) could be identified in Vitex agnus-castus. Both chemotypes occurred between as well within accessions. The differences between the accessions were based mainly on the occurrence of these chemotypes in accessions and the frequency of their occurrence within accessions.

Verbenae herba is a widely used drug and consists of the aerial parts of Verbena officinalis (Verbenaceae). Until now, the identification has been performed based on morphological and phytochemical analyses, which are not reliable enough to distinguish Verbena officinalis from other relevant species of the genus Verbena. Hence, impurities and adulterants, negatively influencing the therapeutic effect of the drug, may remain undetected. In an attempt to generate an accurate authentication method we used two different DNA-based approaches: comparison of ITS sequences and molecular markers (RAPD). Both approaches generally enabled discrimination of V. officinalis from the rest of the genus despite the intraspecific variation existing within V. officinalis. The application of the two independent methods, supporting each other, increases the security of identification. For better reproducibility and faster analysis, however, a SCAR marker and primers for HRM were derived from the RAPD results. The SCAR marker could distinguish V. officinalis from all other verbena species except its closest relative V. hastata, while discrimination of V. officinalis even from V. hastata was unproblematic with HRM.

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