Tocopherol, plastochromanol and fatty acid patterns in the genus Linum

The fatty acid composition of the seed oil has been used as a criterion in searching for a rational infrageneric classification of Linum L.. The objec tive of the present study was to evaluate the taxonomic potential of other seed traits such as tocopherols and plastochromanol-8 in this genus. The re sults revealed that, in addition to fatty acids, tocopherols and plastochro manol-8 possess an important chemotaxonomic value for the genus Linum. Sect . Linum and sect. Syllinum Griseb. clearly differed from each other for the three types of compounds. Sect. Linum was characterized by the presence of plastochromanol-8, a high concentration of linolenic acid, and an intermed iate or low concentration of alpha-tocopherol, Contrarily, sect. Syllinum l acked plastochromanol-8 and contained a low concentration of linolenic acid and a high concentration of alpha-tocopherol. The three species evaluated of the section Linastrum (Planch.) Bentham showed no common pattern, questi oning their classification within the same section.