FLAVONOIDS OF SYNGONANTHUS RUHL (ERIOCAULACEAE) - TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

A list of flavonoids of 22 taxa of Syngonanthus Ruhl. (Eriocaulaceae) is presented. The specimens are distributed chiefly in areas of 'campo s rupestres' of the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia (Brazil). only fl avone glycosides were obtained. Among the Eriocaulaceae, the results b ring Syngonanthus close to Leiothrix and distinguish both taxa from Er iocaulon, a genus known to possess flavonols. At the infrageneric leve l, the flavonoid chemistry suggests a pairwise arrangement of the four sections of Syngonanthus, combining on the one hand Carpocephalus and Dimorphocaulon, and on the other hand, Eulepis and Thysanocephalus. S upport for this realignment is provided by the exclusive finding of de rivatives of 6-hydroxyluteolin in species of the former pair of sectio ns and the nearly exclusive presence of C-glycosides of luteolin and g alactose-containing O-glycosides in species of the latter pair. Copyri ght (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd