title: Flavonoids as chemotaxonomic markers for Erythroxylum australe.
abstract: Methanolic leaf extracts of Erythroxylum australe F. Muell. produced eight O-conjugated flavonoids. Six of the flavonoid aglycones were dihydroisoflavones (all dihydro-orobol derivatives), one a flavanone, eriodictyol, and one a flavonol, quercetin. The major glycosides of the flavonoids included mono-glucosyl-rhamnosyls and dirhamnosyl-glucosides with either 3, 5, 7 or 3', 4' linkage or a combination thereof The array of flavonoids present in E. australe suggests kinship to E. ulei and linkage to the four cultivated alkaloid-bearing Erythroxylum, especially the ancestral E. coca var. coca. Because of the uniqueness of the flavonoids present in leaf tissue of E. australe they are unambiguously useful as chemotaxonomic markers for the taxon.
authors.affiliation: USDA ARS Weed Science Laboratory, Bldg. 001, Rm. 329 BARC-W, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA. johnsonE@ba.ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: Emanuel L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Walter F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D030921:Erythroxylaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts