Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T02:51:01.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Distribution of proazulenes in Achillea millefolium s.l. wild populations in relation to phytosociological dependence and morphological characters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

Jolita Radušiene  and
Odeta Gudaityte
Jolita Radušiene*
Affiliation:
Institute of Botany, Zaliuju ezeru 49, LT-08406, Vilnius, Lithuania
Odeta Gudaityte
Affiliation:
Institute of Botany, Zaliuju ezeru 49, LT-08406, Vilnius, Lithuania
*
Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Millefolii herba is one of the oldest and most important drugs in Lithuania, used both in folk and official medicine. The raw material is usually gathered from spontaneous populations. It would be reasonable to develop methods to identify the populations which produce high plant biomass and accumulate high levels of proazulenes. The quantitative variation of proazulenes and their relationships with phytosociological dependence and morphological characters of Achillea millefolium from wild populations has been examined. The vegetation records were made at 140 growing sites of A. millefolium. The species was found in 29 types of community representing different growing habitats. The resources of milfoils prevailed in dry grasslands of Arrhenatheretalia communities and ruderal habitats of Dauco-Meliliotion. The data on productivity and morphological characters were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. A hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that higher productivity of A. millefolium populations was associated with their dependence on ruderal and segetal communities. The testing of A. millefolium plants revealed high variation for proazulenes in different communities. The proazulene-containing plants have been identified in 38% of all analysed cases. In the highest segetal and wasteland communities of Agropyretalia repentis, Sisybietalia, Digitario-Setarion, Aperion spicae-venti, Senecion fluviatilis only proazulene-free plants were found. Results of the ANOVA showed the proazulene-containing and proazulene-free plants significantly differed (P<0.05) for width of leaves and number of nodes. The presence of nodes in high number and narrow leaves in high proazulene-containing plants distinctly marked them from the proazulene-free plants. The study raised the possibility that selection based on the two morphological marker traits (node number and leaf width) and proazulene distribution in the populations would be effective for rapid identification of highly productive population(s) of pharmaceutical importance.

Keywords

Achillea millefoliumhierarchical cluster analysismorphological charactersphytosociological dependenceproazulenesproductivity
Type
Research Article
Information
Plant Genetic Resources , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , August 2005 , pp. 136 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © NIAB 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

reference

Baleviciene, J, Kiziene, B, Lazdauskaite, Z, Patalauskaite, D, Rasomavicius, V, Sinkeviciene, Z, Tuciene, A and Venckus, Z (1998) Vegetation of Lithuania, Vol. 1: Kaunas-Vilnius: Sˇviesa Publishers (in Lithuanian).Google Scholar
Chandler, RF, Hooper, SN and Harvey, MJ (1982) Ethnobotany and phytochemistry of yarrow, Achillea millefolium, Compositae. Economic Botany 36: 203–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dabrowska, J (1982) Systematic and geographic studies of the genus Achillea L. in Poland with special reference to Silesia. Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis Prace Botaniczhe 24: 1–223.Google Scholar
Danihelka, J and Rotreklova, O (2001) Chromosome numbers within the Achillea millefolium and the A. distans groups in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Folia Geobotanica 36: 163–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofman, L, Fritz, D, Nits, S, Kollmansberger, H and Drawert, F (1992) Essential oil composition of three polyploids in the Achillea millefolium ‘complex’. Phytochemistry 31: 537–572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jurenitsch, J (1992) Achillea. In: Hänslel, R, Keller, K, Rimpler, H and Schneider, G (eds) Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis. 4: Drogen A–D. Berlin: Springer Verlag, 45–50.Google Scholar
Kubelka, W, Kastner, U, Glasl, S, Saukel, J and Jurenitsch, J (1999) Chemotaxonomic relevance of sesquiterpenes within the Achillea millefolium group. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 27: 437–444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michler, B and Arnold, C-G (1999) Predicting presence of proazulenes in the Achillea millefolium group. Folia Geobotanica 34: 143–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michler, B, Preitschopf, A, Erhard, P and Arnold, C-G (1992) Achillea millefolium: relationships among habitat factors, ploidy, occurrence of proazulene and the content of chamazulene in the essential oil. Pharmceutische Zeitung Wissenschaftliche 137: 23–29.Google Scholar
Motiekaityte, V (2002) Urbophytocenoses. Vilnius: Institute of Botany Press (in Lithuanian).Google Scholar
Mulligan, GA and Bassett, IJ (1959) Achillea millefolium complex in Canada and portions of the United States. Canadian Journal of Botany 37: 73–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oświecimska, (1973) Chemotaxonomic investigations of an azulene Achillea. Herba Polonica 207: 215Google Scholar
Oświecimska, M (1974) Korrelation zwischen chromosomenzahl und prochamazulenen in Achillea von Osteuropa. Planta Medica 389–395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, IBK (1976) Achillea In: Tutin, TG, Heywood, VH, Burges, NA, Moore, DM, Valentine, DH, Walters, SM and Webb, DA (eds) Flora Europaea, Vol. 4. London: Cambridge University Press, 159–165.Google Scholar
Saukel, J and Länger, R (1992 a) Die Achillea millefolium gruppe ( Asteraceae ) in Mitteleuropa, 1. Phyton 31: 185–207.Google Scholar
Saukel, J and Länger, R (1992 b) Die Achillea millefolium gruppe (Asteraceae) in Mitteleuropa, 2. Phyton 32: 47–78.Google Scholar
Shalabi, A and Verzar-Petri, G (1979) Cytological conditions and composition of essential oil of the Hungarian milfoil herba. Planta Medica 36: 291Google Scholar
Stahl, E (1953) Mikro-Azulennachweismethode für Schafgarbe (Achillea mllefollium L. Und andere Arten der Gattung). Deutsche Apotheker-Zeitung 93: 197–200Google Scholar
Verzar-Petri, G, Cuong, BN, Tamas, J, Radics, L and Ujszaszi, K (1979) The main azulenogenous sesquiterpene lactones of Achillea millefolium L. ssp. collina as compounds in the plant kingdom. Planta Medica 36: 273–274.Google Scholar