PHYTOCHEMICAL SURVEY OF LOTUS-TENUIS WALDST-AND-KIT

Flavonoids were studied in the pasture legume Lotus tenuis Waldst. & K it ex Willd. (birdsfoot trefoil) in connection with different developm ental stages and from in vitro culture material. Kaempferol and kaempf erol-3-O-glucosyl-7-O-rhamnoside were identified during the whole life cycle of the plant and in different organs, whereas kaempferol-3-O-gl ucoside could only be detected during the reproductive stage. The seed s of L. tenuis had a high concentration of free quercetin and its glyc osides. No flavonoids were found either in the roots or in the calli. These results are discussed in relation to flavonoids ecophysiological and chemosystematical role.