Ferula cupularis (Boiss.) Spalik et S. R. Downie is an endangered endemic Iranian medicinal plant with occurrence restricted to Fars and Kohkilooyeh Boyerahmad provinces, Iran. F. cupularis is cited for strong antibacterial activity, usages in foodstuffs preservation, and has long been used by local peoples for ulcer treatment. In this research, the aerial parts of F. cupularis wild populations were collected from three natural habitats: Eqlid-Kaftar (FC1), Kakan (FC2), and Sepidan-Komohr (FC3), to assess phytochemical diversity and antioxidant activity. The quantity of essential oil (EO) ranged remarkably from 0.42 to 0.72% v/w among the populations. Results obtained from the EO analysis by GC-FID and GC-MS detected up to 56 compounds. α-Pinene (21.65-31.53%), sabinene (4.74-11.39%), phellandrene (1.78-5.1%), δ-3-carene (1.85-7.18%), limonene (4.12-7.45%), (Z)-β-ocimene (9.08-17.64%), and elemicin (0.23-5.74%) were the major compounds of EOs varied significantly among the populations. Moreover, total phenol content (250.54 to 387.45 mg gallic acid/100g dry weight (DW)) and flavonoids (34.38 to 41.12 mg quercetin/100 g DW) of methanolic extracts varied substantially among the populations. Antioxidant activities of F. cupularis EOs and extracts were assessed by DPPH (2,2,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging method. EOs exhibited EC50 values ranging from 8.88 to 9.67 µg mL-1 and the EC50 values for the extract ranged from 941.36 to 1335.96 µg mL-1 within the populations. Results demonstrated significantly different levels of antioxidant capacities among the studied populations. Monitoring the data, the population collected from Eqlid-Kaftar (FC1) was selected as the most potent population concerning the highest EO content and antioxidant activity level. The obtained data provided new insights for an initial source of breeding plans and ultimately massive production for food and pharmaceutical industries.

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