Periploca sepium Bunge - Apocynaceae - 杠柳 gang liu (chin.), periploca, Chinesische Baumschlinge
Deciduous shrub, up to 4m high, native to China; leaves ovate-oblong, 5-9cm long, base cuneate, apex attenuate, lateral veins 20-25 pairs; cymes on lateral branchlets, often paired, few flowered; pedicel ca. 2cm, sepals triangular-ovate, corolla mostly purple, ca. 1.5cm in diam., tube ca. 3mm; lobes oblong-lanceolate, strongly reflexed, abaxially glabrous, adaxially pilose near margin, with prominent, elongated, raised, pale patch along center; seeds oblong, 7mm long; coma ca. 3cm. Flora of China
The major constituents the hydrodistilled root bark of P.sepium were 4-methoxysalicylaldehyde (2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzaldehyde; ~88%), furfural (3.1%), limonene (0.17%), p-anisaldehyde (0.17%), cinnamaldehyde (0.32%), eugenol (0.39%), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-acetophenone (0.25%), and anethole (0.22%).
[Miyazawa, Mitsuo, et al. „Chemical composition of volatile oil from the roots of Periploca sepium.“ Journal of Oleo Science 53.10 (2004): 511-513]
2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzaldehyde (vanilla-like)
The major compounds of the essential oil obtained in 0.15% yield by hydrodistillation of the root bark of P. sepium were 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (78.8%), α-terpineol (2.6%), β-thujene (2.3%), linalool (2.2%),
and β-myrcene (2.0%). Minor components were borneol (0.8%), bornyl acetate (0.8%), vanillin (0.3%), and methyl 4-methoxysalicylate (0.4%) e.g.
[Wang, Jihua, et al. „Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the root bark essential oil of Periploca sepium and its main component 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde.“ Molecules 15.8 (2010): 5807-5817]
The olfactive description of the essential oil obtained by distillation of the biomass with steam is 'sweet, warm, gourmand, vanillic and almond-like'. Firmenich Periploca Root EO 10 TEC 971653 (retrieved 20250325)
Periploca sepium and Periploca forrestii Flora of China, Harvard
Periploca sepium Bunge, Bild: R. Omlor • Akzession: 199721503/2
Botanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz