ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the composition and diversity of volatiles from some plants that are used by humans for dietary and medicinal purposes, but this analysis is not limited to the parts of the plants consumed by people. The vegetative volatiles directly deter or are toxic to herbivores and microorganisms. Indirectly, plant volatiles can protect the emitting plant by attracting natural enemies of herbivores via tritrophic interactions. Plant volatiles are specialized metabolites, synthesized in the cytoplasm and plastids of plant cells. Plant volatiles also mediate intra and interplant signaling processes inducing the emission of other volatiles and the expression of defense genes in neighboring plants. The volatiles compositions from leaves of young and old shoots of the plant were significantly different. The fruits of this dioecious plant are olive-like black berries. The composition of the volatiles from bay fruits is different from leaves somewhat but mostly quantitatively.
