Flavonoids as chemotaxonomic markers in the genus Drosera

The botanical classification of the huge genus Drosera remains controversial since long. In the present study, the pattern of major phenolic compounds in ten Drosera species belonging to seven different subgenera and/or sections of the genus was investigated for chemotaxonomic allocation. The composition of flavonoids and ellagic acid derivatives in Drosera adelae, Drosera burmannii, Drosera dielsiana, Drosera hilaris, Drosera montana, Drosera petiolaris, and Drosera pygmaea was elucidated for the first time. The scarce data on these compounds in Drosera binata, Drosera aliciae, and Drosera spatulata were complemented significantly. Detailed LC-DAD-MS, LC-NMR, and offline 1D and 2D NMR analyses resulted in the unambiguous identification of around 40 different substances, three of them (8-hydroxy-luteolin-8-O-arabinopyranoside, tricetin-7-O-xylopyranoside and 8-hydroxytricetin-8-O-arabinopyranoside) being natural products described for the first time. The distribution of the compounds characterized underlines their potential to serve as chemotaxonomic markers in this genus.