PHLOROGLUCINOL DERIVATIVES IN DRYOPTERIS-ARDECHENSIS AND D-CORLEYI (PTERIDOPHYTA, DRYOPTERIDACEAE) AND THEIR PUTATIVE ANCESTORS

The phloroglucinol compositions of D. ardechensis and D. corleyi and t heir putative ancestors are studied by thin-layer chromatography. D. a rdechensis is a tetraploid apomictic species, which contains large amo unts of flavaspidic acid and pentherin-I as well as some albaspidin, t risflavaspidic acid, and filixic acid. According to its morphology, cy tology and chemistry it was most probably derived from a hybrid of the apomictic diploid D. affinis ssp. affinis and tetraploid sexual D. ty rrhena. D. corleyi is a tetraploid sexual species, which contains larg e amounts of aspidin and para-aspidin as well as some flavaspidic acid , phloraspin, margaspidin and trisflavaspidic acid. Its morphology, cy tology and chemistry suggests that it has been formed by chromosome do ubling from a hybrid of the diploid sexual taxa D. aemula and D. oread es. However, final proof of the above origins can only be obtained fro m experimental hybridization or other experimental work.