Sterol composition of the phytolaccaceae and closely related families

Total sterols were analyzed from 28 species of Phytolaccaceae and from 29 species of closely related families—Basellaceae, Portulaccaceae, Molluginaceae, and Stegnospermataceae. Eighteen of twenty‐eight species of Phytolaccaceae contained dominant Δ 7 ‐sterols while six species had dominant Δ 5 ‐sterols. Three species had dominant Δ 0 ‐sterols. Sterol composition strongly reflected taxonomic position. Nineteen of twenty‐nine species from Basellaceae, Portulaccaceae, Molluginaceae, and Stegnospermataceae contained dominant Δ 7 ‐sterols while ten species contained dominant Δ 5 ‐sterols. Until recently Δ 7 ‐sterols were considered rare in higher plants. It appears that a large number of species in the order Caryophyllales contain primarily Δ 7 ‐sterols.