Trichomes chemical composition

Kamatou, G.P.P., R.L. van Zyl, S.F. van Vuuren, A.M. Viljoen. A.C. Figueiredo, J.G. Barroso, L.G. Pedro, and P.M. Tilney, 2006. Chemical composition, leaf trichome types and biological activities of the essential oils of four related salvia species indigenous to Southern Africa. J. Essent. Oil Res., 18(Special edition) 72-79. 

Most plants have trichomes on their aerial surfaces. The trichomes may be simple hairs or more specialized glandular trichomes, whose main function may be the production and accumulation of chemicals such as essential oils. The vast majority of these consists of monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids and diterpenoids with a high vapour pressure. They may be absorbed on the cuticular wax layer. The trichome secretions are closely related to plant-insect or plant-microbe interactions. Terpenoids can attract, rep>el or initiate defence reactions in insects. Apart from their ecological roles, plant terpenoids are widely used in the pharmaceutical and fragrance industries. The properties of essential oils are correlated with their qualitative and quantitative compositions. 

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