## 5 Conclusions  
This study presents a systematic characterization of volatile metabolites in the seeds and leaves of _P. zhennan_ and _P. chekiangensis_, using untargeted GC-MS-based metabolomics integrated with rOAV screening and sensory annotation. A total of 1666 volatile features were tentatively identified through spectral library matching, among which 540 were inferred to be aroma-active based on rOAV values calculated from literature-reported odor thresholds. Clear tissue- and species-related aroma profiles were revealed: seeds were enriched in floral and fruity compounds, while leaves featured more green and herbal volatiles. The KEGG enrichment and Venn diagram analyses suggested possible metabolic divergence and indicated putative diagnostic markers underlying this diversity. These findings improve our understanding of volatile allocation in different plant tissues and their potential ecological roles, such as in defense and in attracting pollinators. Furthermore, the results provide a valuable foundation for applications in fragrance product development, chemotaxonomic identification, and the future breeding or metabolic engineering of aromatic trees. Although this study provides new insights into the volatile diversity of _Phoebe_ species, its reproducibility may be constrained by certain limitations, including the absence of absolute quantification, gene expression validation, and broader environmental sampling. Future research should aim to integrate transcriptomic data, conduct multi-seasonal and multi-site sampling, and apply standardized methods to enhance its robustness. These efforts will help validate the ecological and functional relevance of tissue-related volatile variation and provide a stronger basis for aromatic trait improvement in _Phoebe_ species.  
**Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo15080526/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo15080526/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo15080526/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/metabo15080526/s1)), Figure S1: Geographical location of the sampling site. Table S1: List of 1666 detected volatile metabolites and their annotation information. Table S2: List of 540 aroma-active volatile compounds in _Phoebe_ species. Table S3: Differentially accumulated volatile metabolites in seeds between _P. chekiangensis_ and _P. zhennan_ (Z)N1_vs_ZN1). Table S4: Differentially accumulated volatile metabolites in leaves between _P. chekiangensis_ and _P. zhennan_ (Z)N2_vs_ZN2). Table S5: Lists of differentially accumulated volatile metabolites based on pairwise Venn diagram comparisons.  
**Author Contributions:** [PERSON] designed and performed the experiments and analyzed the data. [PERSON] supervised the project and revised the manuscript. [PERSON] drafted and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
**Funding:** This work was supported by the project Key Technology Development for Featured Landscape and Ecological Environment Enhancement in Plot C10-05, Lingang Fengxian Area, Shanghai (Project No. 2024320104001932).  
**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.  
Data Availability Statement: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.  
The author would like to thank the lab's staff members for their assistance.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** [PERSON] was employed by the company Shanghai Lingang Fengxian Economic Development Co., Ltd. The paper reflects the views of the scientists and not the company.