Diversity in Furanoeremophilane Composition Produced by Ligularia Species (Asteraceae) in the Hengduan Mountains Area of China

Abstract

A series of our studies on the chemical and genetic diversity of Ligularia species in the Hengduan Mountains area of China is reviewed. Diversities were detected in various species in terpenoid compositions and DNA sequences of the ITS region. Furanoeremophilanes were isolated from many species together with eremophilan-8-ones. Samples of some species such as L. virgaurea were grouped into two or more chemotypes, while L. cymbulifera and L. cyathiceps were uniform. Complex diversity was found in L. kanaitzensis. A hypothesis that the production of furanoeremophilanes is ecologically advantageous was proposed. Production of terpenoids in L. duciformis and related species were suggested to be acquired by hybridization which may be one of the major pathways of the evolution of Ligularia. Some taxonomically close species, such as L. lamarum and L. subspicata, were indistinguishable in both the root chemicals and the ITS sequences.