title: Cuticular wax profiles of leaves of some traditionally used African Bignoniaceae.
abstract: Bignoniaceae, Newbouldia laevis, Markhamia acuminata, Spathodea campanulata and Kigelia africana were analysed by GC-MS. The principal constituents were represented by a homologous series of n-alkanes (C23-C33), n-alcohols (C18-C30) and related carboxylic acids (C16-C36). For N. laevis and M. acuminata, ursolic and oleanolic acid were the most abundant wax components (52 and 60%, respectively), followed by the C29, the C31 and the C33 n-alkanes. The predominant components of S. campanulata were n-alcohols (35%), with octacosanol and triacontanol as the most abundant ones, while K. africana is distinguished from these three members by the conspicuous absence of triterpenoic acids and the predominance of n-alkanes (70%) with hentriacontane and tritriacontane as the main representatives. Other notable constituents were sterols, albeit present in trace amounts. The wax profiles are discussed in terms of taxonomic characters.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pharmazie, Pharmazeutische Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2 + 4, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gormann
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kolodziej
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000438:Alcohols / Q000032:analysis; D000473:Alkanes / Q000032:analysis; D029402:Bignoniaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000032:analysis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000032:analysis; D014885:Waxes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D000473:Alkanes; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010840:Phytosterols; D014315:Triterpenes; D014885:Waxes