夜來香（Polianthes tuberosa L.）為本省重要的切花作物，其花瓣中萃取的精油亦是香
水製造中高級的香精。然而在不同的夜來香品系間，花朵釋放出的花香濃度有顯著的差異。本試驗以GC/MS 方法檢測帶顯著香氣之品系， 白花單瓣（P. tuberose cv.‘Single’）及白花重瓣（P. tuberose cv. ‘Double’），與不帶顯著香氣之品系，紫花單瓣（P. x owardii），
花香成分之差異。實驗結果顯示，白花單瓣與白花重瓣花朵各測得9 種花香成分，其中6種成份共同存在此二品系花瓣中。而在紫花單瓣的花瓣中測得兩種花香成分，其中一種成份與白花單瓣相同。歸納本試驗所測得之夜來香香氣成份包括terpenoid 類、benzenoid 類、fatty acid 衍生物以及含氮分子。藉由比較含香氣及不含香氣品系之成份發現，1,8-cineole，methyl benzoate 以及methyl salicylate 是香氣品系白花單瓣與白花重瓣之主要香氣成份，此三成份不存在紫花單瓣品系之花瓣中，由此結果推測，組成夜來香花香之主要成份應為1,8-cineole，methyl benzoate 及methyl salicylate 等成分。

Polianthes tuberosa L. is an important cut flower in Taiwan. Additionally, the absolute produced from the floral tissues of tuberose is considered as a valuable perfume material. Nevertheless, a great degree of variation in the production of floral scent present in different
cultivars of tuberose. In this study, GC/MS method was applied to analyze compounds emitted from tuberose flowers of fragrant cultivars, P. tuberose cv.‘Single’ and P. tuberose cv. ‘Double’ , and non-fragrant hybrid P. x Howardii. In our results, GC/MS detected 9 volatiles in both fragrant cultivars, P. tuberose cv.‘Single’ and ‘Double’. These 2 cultivars have 6 common volatiles emitted from the floral tissues. In the flowers of non-fragrant hybrid, P. x Howardii, 2 volatiles were
detected. The scent’s compounds detected in tuberose’s flowers belong to several groups of secondary metabolites, including terpenoid, benzenoid, fatty acid derivatives and nitrogen-containing compounds. Comparing the floral scent compositions within these 3 cultivars indicates that volatile components, 1,8-cineole, methyl benzoate and methyl salicylate, only present in the fragrant cultivars with high level of concentration, but not in non-fragrant hybrid. This result suggests that the principal components contributing to the floral scent of tuberose are 1,8-cineole,
methyl benzoate and methyl salicylate.