Abstract
Several quinolizidine alkaloids, including various angelate esters, are known from the genus Pearsonia. In a detailed variation study which included 98 samples from nine of the 11 species, large qualitative and quantitative differences were recorded. The observed variation is ascribed to the following: 1, species (the alkaloids of some species and subspecies are diagnostically different); 2, provenance (various populations of the same species may have unique combinations of alkaloids); 3, developmental stage (in P. cajanifolia there is a marked decreased in esterification towards the end of the growing season); 4, plant parts extracted (seeds, for example, have high concentrations of hydroxylated lupanine-type alkaloids and only small amounts of esters). These results highlight some of the problems associated with the use of alkaloids as taxonomic characters.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 685-695 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Biochemical Systematics and Ecology |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 8 Nov 1991 |
Keywords
- Crotalarieae
- Pearsonia, Fabaceae
- chemotaxonomy
- quinolizidine alkaloids
- variation study
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Biochemistry