The acid was isolated for the first time in 1963 on the leaves and fruits of
Ginkgo biloba by JL Gellerman and H. Schlenk. It was then identified in the oils of other plants, especially
conifers:
Taxodium distichum (14.25%),
Cupressus funebris (10.27%),
Platycladus orientalis (9%),
Taxus cuspidata (6.8%), etc.; in other flowering plants:
Ephedra gerardiana (19.2%),
Caltha sp. (9.4%),
Ephedra nevadensis (9.3%), and
Ephedra przewalskii (8.8%), among others; and in some marine animals. The acid was later discovered in the seed oil of
Juniperus communis (18%), which is why the acid is called juniperonic. It was first synthesized in 2010 by A. Vik and co-workers. Oftentimes, it is found in conifers together with other fatty acids (
taxoleic,
pinolenic,
taxoleic,
sciadonic acid) that have a double bond in the position 5, separated by more than one
methylene group from the next double bond. ==Uses==