The flavonoids in Epimedium L. and their taxonomic significance

GUO Bao-Lin, XIAO Pei-Gen

Received:1900-01-01 Revised:1900-01-01 Online:1999-05-10 Published:1999-05-10
Contact: GUO Bao-Lin

Abstract:

In this paper, the distribution and quantity of flavonol glycosides with isoprenyl in

the eighth position (A kind) or without isoprenyl (B kind) in Epimedium were analyzed by

HPLC. The following results of taxonomic significance were obtained: 1 )According to the

chemical characteristics, Epimedium could be divided into three groups: A group, mainly

with A kind of flavonol glycosides; B group, mainly with B kind of fiavonol glycosides; AB

group, sharing the two kinds. Eight taxa (species or subspecies) in B group, which have

many advanced charaetaristics, should represent a more advanced group of the genus. The

species of AB group were relatively primitive in the genus. Hence the evolutionury trend

from AB group to A group and then to B group was possible. This trend is basically correlat-

ed with that of morphological evolution. But the above groupings of A, B and AB do not ac-

cord with Stearn's taxonomic system and the results of pollen morphology and of chromo-

some C-bands. 2)E. alpinum, a species distributed in the Mediterranean area, contains a

high quantity of A2 kind of compounds (those of A kind with 4'-OH), so it may be some-

what related to the primitive species in China. 3)The constituents of E. davidii and E. e-

calcaratnm are almost identical, implying that the prescence or absence of the spur of the

petal should be of unimportant systematic significance. 4)The chromngram of HPLC provid-

ed reliable evidence for determining the parental origin of the hybrid E. x fanjingshanense.

The results of this work provided new evidence for establishing a more reasonable taxonomic

system of Epimediurn, but the taxonomic research on Epimedium has a long way to go and

more work must be done. Other chemical characteristics of Epimedium and its relationship

with other groups in the Berberidaceae were also discussed.

Key words: Epimediurn, Flavonoids, Taxonomic significance

GUO Bao-Lin, XIAO Pei-Gen. The flavonoids in Epimedium L. and their taxonomic significance[J]. .

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