Open AccessLeaf epicuticular waxes of eleven Euphorbia species (Euphorbiaceae) from the Central Balkans: Impact on chemotaxonomy
Author(s) -
Gordana Krstić,
Ivana Aljančić,
Jovana Stanković,
Mirjana Cvetković,
Petar D. Marin,
Pedja Janaćković,
Vele Tešević
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
archives of biological sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.217
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1821-4339
pISSN - 0354-4664
DOI - 10.2298/abs180608041k
Subject(s) - epicuticular wax , euphorbiaceae , chemotaxonomy , wax , botany , biology , gas chromatography , alkane , chemistry , hydrocarbon , chromatography , taxonomy (biology) , organic chemistry , biochemistry
The presence of n-alkanes, free alcohols and free acids in leaf epicuticular wax extracts of 22 samples of 11 Euphorbia L. species belonging to the sections Paralias, Esula, Myrsiniteae and Helioscopia, 10 of which were never examined before, were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and n-alkane C27 was detected as the principal component of leaf epicuticular waxes in the majority of the examined species, while the most abundant free alcohol was C26. Three Euphorbia species belonging to section Helioscopia were characterized by a predominance of alcohol C28. Free acid (C16) was the major component in 21 investigated samples. The usefulness of n-alkanes and free alcohols and free acids as potential chemotaxonomic markers is briefly discussed.