Differences in the fragrances of pollen and different floral parts of male and female flowers of Laurus nobilis

The headspace analyses of pollen, whole living female and male flowers, and staminoids have been performed on Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae) from Italy to determine whether there are differences in the volatiles emitted in order to give a contribution to the roles of the different flower parts in the pollination ecology of dioecious plants. Also, the essential oils obtained from male and female plants have been studied to evaluate a possible correlation between the spontaneously emitted volatiles and the constituents stored in the glandular tissues. Furthermore, the headspace sampling technique has been improved, with respect to previously employed methods, by means of solid-phase microextraction (SPME)