Floral scent of Eleocharis elegans (Kunth) Roem. & Schult. (Cyperaceae) * Aderbal F. Magalha˜es a, * , Ana Lu´cia T.G. Ruiz a , Adriana Flach a , Aparecida D. Faria b , Eva G. Magalha˜es a , Maria do Carmo E. Amaral b a Organic Chemistry Department, Chemistry Institute, P.O. Box 6154, 13084-971, UNICAMP, Campinas, Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil b Botany Department, Biology Institute, P.O. Box 6109, 13083-970, UNICAMP, Campinas, Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil Received 30 October 2003; accepted 31 December 2004 Abstract The inflorescences of Eleocharis elegans and Eleocharis sellowiana were investigated by dynamic headspace/GCeMS for the presence of volatiles. No floral volatile was detected in the inconspicuous inflorescences of E. sellowiana but various floral volatiles were produced by the showy inflorescences of E. elegans. The results are discussed in their ecological and evolutionary context. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Eleocharis; Cyperaceae; Floral volatiles; Sesquiterpenes; Dynamic headspace 1. Introduction With their tiny, inconspicuous flowers and hidden or reduced perianth, the majority of the members of Cyperaceae are clearly adapted to anemophily * Contract/grant sponsor: FAPESP. * Corresponding author. Tel.: C55 19 3788 3064; fax: C55 19 3788 3023. E-mail address: aderbal@iqm.unicamp.br (A.F. Magalha˜es). 0305-1978/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2004.12.004 Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 33 (2005) 675e679 www.elsevier.com/locate/biochemsyseco