title: Flavonoids in flowers of 16 Kalanchoë blossfeldiana varieties.
abstract: Kalanchoë blossfeldiana varieties with orange, pink, red and magenta flowers were found to contain 3,5-O-beta-D-diglucosides of pelargonidin, cyanidin, peonidin, delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin. Pink, red and magenta varieties contained relatively high amounts of quercetin based flavonols. Four distinct quercetin flavonols were identified, namely quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside and three that were quercetin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside based, with either glucose, xylose or arabinose attached to position 2 of the rhamnose. In addition, the presence of at least three kaempferol based diglycosides was suggested from LC-MS analyses. Orange varieties contained very low amounts of flavonol co-pigments and of delphinidin derivatives. The flower extracts of the varieties 'Diva' (magenta) and 'Molly' (red) had identical anthocyanin ratios but differed significantly in flavonol content. The magenta variety contained four times as much quercetin relative to anthocyanidin as the red variety. This difference was mainly due to a larger content of quercetin 3-O-(2''-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside). Based on pigment and co-pigment analyses, approaches for molecular breeding towards blue flower colour are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, 40 Thorvaldsensvej, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Allan Holm
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Carl Erik
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Birger Lindberg
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Møller
mesh_terms: D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003116:Color; D029627:Crassulaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006027:Glycosides / Q000737:chemistry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000737:chemistry; D011794:Quercetin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D005419:Flavonoids; D006027:Glycosides; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D011794:Quercetin