Occurrence of a Bis-bibenzyl Derivative in the Japanese Fern Hymenophyllum barbatum : First Isolation and Identification of Perrottetin H from the Pteridophytes

Abstract

The methanol extract of the Japanese fern Hymenophyllum barbatum was chromatographed on Sephadex LH-20 and HPLC to give perrottetin H, an acyclic bis-bibenzyl derivative which has been isolated from the liverwort Jubula japonica. This is the first isolation and identification of bis-bibenzyl from the pteridophytes. The occurrence of bis-bibenzyl in both pteridophytes and liverwort is very important in determining the evolutionary ladder of both terrestrial spore-forming green plants.