## 2 Results and Discussion
### Phytochemical Investigations
#### 2.1.2 Identification of Volatile Compounds by SPME-GC/MS  
Table 2 reports the volatile profile of the hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of _M. frticulosa_ subsp. _fruticulosa_ and subsp. _coronopifolia_. As can be observed in the table, the 61 volatiles identified can be classified into several main groups: aldehydes (mainly with alkalands, 2-alkenals, and 2,4-alcaledients, although also aromatic), acids, alcohols (mainly unsaturated and branched), ketones, esters (mainly methyl esters), sulfides, nitriles, and terpenoids. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & & & _M. frticulosa_ & & _M. frticulosa_ \\
**Compound** & **LRI * on** & **LRI * on** & & **Subsp. frticulosa** & & **Subsp. coronopifolia** \\ \cline{3-8}  & **DB-5 ms** & **VF-AXms** & **Amount \({}^{\ddagger}\)** & **Percentage** & **Amount \({}^{\ddagger}\)** & **Percentage** \\  & & & X \(\pm\)**Dev St** & X \(\pm\)**Dev St** & X \(\pm\)**Dev St** & X \(\pm\)**Dev St** \\ \hline
**Aldehydes** & & & & & & \\
2-Methylbutanal & 675 & 913 &.\$ & - & 1262 \(\pm\) 143 & 3.73 \(\pm\) 0.39 \\ Heptanal & 903 & 1198 & - & - & 51 \(\pm\) 7 & 0.15 \(\pm\) 0.02 \\ (\(E\))-2-Heptenal & 957 & 1338 & - & - & 396 \(\pm\) 43 & 1.17 \(\pm\) 0.19 \\ Benzaldehyde & 962 & 1529 & 261 \(\pm\) 47 & 0.22 \(\pm\) 0.02 & 298 \(\pm\) 38 & 0.88 \(\pm\) 0.11 \\ Octanal & 1004 & 1298 & 508 \(\pm\) 51 & 0.43 \(\pm\) 0.05 & 101 \(\pm\) 19 & 0.30 \(\pm\) 0.05 \\ (\(E\),\(E\))-2,4-Heptadienal & 1014 & 1497 & - & - & 247 \(\pm\) 34 & 0.73 \(\pm\) 0.14 \\ Phenylacetaldehyde & 1043 & 1640 & - & - & 213 \(\pm\) 37 & 0.63 \(\pm\) 0.11 \\ Nonanal & 1105 & 1398 & 5554 \(\pm\) 939 & 4.72 \(\pm\) 0.74 & - & - \\ (\(E\))-2-Nonneal & 1161 & 1543 & 72 \(\pm\) 12 & 0.06 \(\pm\) 0.01 & - & - \\ Decanal & 1206 & 1502 & 115 \(\pm\) 19 & 0.10 \(\pm\) 0.02 & 116 \(\pm\) 14 & 0.34 \(\pm\) 0.06 \\ (\(E\))-2-Decneal & 1263 & 1647 & - & - & 101 \(\pm\) 12 & 0.30 \(\pm\) 0.05 \\ (\(Z\))-9-Octadecenal & 2006 & 2693 & 242 \(\pm\) 42 & 0.21 \(\pm\) 0.03 & - & - \\ _All_ & & & _6752 \(\pm\) 385_ & _5.73 \(\pm\) 0.30_ & _2787 \(\pm\) 55_ & _8.24 \(\pm\) 0.16_ \\
**Acids** & & & & & & \\ Benzoic acid & 1165 & 2433 & 522 \(\pm\) 60 & 0.47 \(\pm\) 0.08 & - & - \\ Octanoic acid & 1174 & 2072 & 262 \(\pm\) 29 & 0.22 \(\pm\) 0.04 & 636 \(\pm\) 96 & 1.88 \(\pm\) 0.31 \\ Nonanoic acid & 1269 & 2178 & 180 \(\pm\) 26 & 0.15 \(\pm\) 0.02 & 231 \(\pm\) 30 & 0.68 \(\pm\) 0.09 \\ Decanoic acid & 1366 & 2284 & - & - & 205 \(\pm\) 36 & 0.61 \(\pm\) 0.11 \\ _All_ & & & 995 \(\pm\) 41 & _0.84 \(\pm\) 0.05_ & _1072 \(\pm\) 62_ & 3.17 \(\pm\) 0.20 \\
**Alcohols** & & & & & & \\ (\(E\))-2-Hepten-1-ol & 973 & 1515 & - & - & 409 \(\pm\) 78 & 1.21 \(\pm\) 0.19 \\
1-Octen-3-ol & 980 & 1452 & - & - & 2719 \(\pm\) 342 & 8.04 \(\pm\) 1.09 \\
2-Ethyl-1-hexanol & 1029 & 1489 & 164 \(\pm\) 20 & 0.14 \(\pm\) 0.02 & - & - \\ (\(E\))-2-Octen-1-ol & 1068 & 1617 & - & - & 244 \(\pm\) 35 & 0.72 \(\pm\) 0.14 \\
1-Octanol & 1072 & 1561 & - & - & 393 \(\pm\) 71 & 1.16 \(\pm\) 0.21 \\
2-Methyl-1-octanol & 1100 & - & - & - & 148 \(\pm\) 27 & 0.44 \(\pm\) 0.08 \\ _All_ & & & 164 \(\pm\) 20 & _0.14 \(\pm\) 0.02_ & _3914 \(\pm\) 161_ & _11.58 \(\pm\) 0.51_ \\
**Ketones** & & & & & & \\
4-Methyl-2-pentanone & 736 & 1010 & - & - & 487 \(\pm\) 90 & 1.44 \(\pm\) 0.23 \\
2-Hexanone & 790 & 1083 & - & - & 265 \(\pm\) 36 & 0.78 \(\pm\) 0.15 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Composition as volatile constituents and classes of substances of the hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of _M. frticulosa_ subsp. _fruticulosa_ and subsp. _coronopifolia_. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline  & & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_M. frriticulosa_} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_M. frriticulosa_} \\ \cline{3-6}
**Compound** & **LRI * on** & **LRI * on** & **Subsp. frriticulosa** & **Subsp.