Butea frondosa

Specimens of the pollen-feeding staphylinid beetle Eusphalerum minutum were found in cantharidin traps, which indicates that they are canthariphilous [121]. In addition, they contain small amounts of cantharidin 48, which is accompanied by palasonin 49. Palasonin has been previously only known from seeds and fruits of the Indian shrub Butea frondosa (Leguminaceae [122]). 

Defensive Compounds. Clerid beetles such as Trichodes apiarius were found to contain considerable amounts of cantharidin 48, accompanied by small to minute amounts of palasonin 49 [ 122,265]. Previously, the latter has been known only from seeds and fruits of the Indian shrub, Butea frondosa (Leguminaceae). It is suggested that these predatory beetles feed on cantharidin producing oede-merid and meloid beetles, see below. Several clerid species are canthariphilous [266,267],... 

While the Indian shrub Butea frondosa, contains (S)-(-)-palasonin of high enantiomeric purity, palasonin from Hycleus lunata shows a low ee with the (J )-(+)-enantiomer (20-50 ee) prevailing. Despite this difference between the insect-derived and the plant-produced product, an uptake of palasonin from hitherto unknown plant sources in the environment of Hycleus appears to be highly unlikely, however, palasonin may be produced by oxidative demethyla-tion of cantharidin [122]. 

The host plants are, for example, Butea frondosa ROXB., Ficus religiosa L., Ziziphus jujuba MILL. 

Constit. of Dalbergia stevensonii and Dahlia variabilis, Butea frondosa. Coreopsis spp., Cosmos sulphurous and others. Orange-yellow cryst. + IH2O (EtOH aq.). Mp 198°, Mp 213-215°. 

Ganguly A K, Seshadri T R 1959 A study of leucoanthocyanidins of plants. II. (+)-Leucocyanid-in from the gum of Butea frondosa. Tetrahedron 6 21-23... 

Robinson GM 1937 Leucoanthocyanins. III. Formation of cyanidin chloride from a constituent of the gum of Butea frondosa. J Chem Soc pp. 1157-1160... 

Colouring matter obtained from Rhus spp., also in Trachylobium verrucosum, AnthyHis vulneraria, Butea frondosa, Gleditsia spp., Acacia spp. and others. Used as EtOH soln. for photometric detn. of Al, B, Be, Bi, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Sb, U, Zr, Cr and rare earths 430 nm, E 17000). Yellow cryst. Sol. EtOH, MeOH. Mp 330°. Shows brilliant yellow fluor. 

Viciafaba (Fabaceae) 4 -glycoside (Butrin) in Coreopsis douglasii, Bidens spp., Helianthus annum (Asteraceae) [flower] 3,4 -diglycoside (Isobutrin) in Butea monosperma, B.frondosa (Fabaceae)... 

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