EPICUTICULAR WAX COMPOSITION OF SOME EUROPEAN SEDUM SPECIES

Epicuticular waxes from 30 species of Sedum and 2 species of Semperviv oideae, i.e. Aeonium spathulatum and Sempervivum nevadense, have been analysed by GC and GC-MS. The Sedum taxa examined were S. acre, S. alb um, S. series Alpestria (13 species), S. anglicum, S. brevifolium, S. litoreum, S. lydium, S. series Macaronesia (four species), S. melanant herum and S. series Rupestria (five species) of S. sect. Sedum and S. meyeri-johannis of S. sect. Africana. The waxes consist of alkanes, al kanols, fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters, aldehydes, wax esters a nd triterpenes. Some 14 triterpenes were detected in waxes of Sedum, t he major triterpenes being beta-amyrenyl acetate, germanicyl formate ( not previously reported from a natural source), multiflorenyl acetate and taraxeryl acetate. Waxes of the pruinose and glaucous taxa of Sedu m were found to have a high triterpene content. In waxes of Aeonium sp athulatum and Sempervivum nevadense, no triterpenes could be detected. Variation in the alkane and triterpene profiles proved to be of signi ficant systematic value. In general, the distribution of the triterpen es in Sedum agrees with the infrageneric classification based on hybri dization patterns and related morphological characters.