Chemotaxonomy of Delphinium Species

Because of the difficulties associated with the Delphinium classification, the diterpene alkaloid content was assessed as an aid to determining the chemical taxonomic diversity of the toxic larkspur species [59]. Plant samples were collected from 18 different locations in five western states in the US. The crude methanolic extracts were analyzed for diterpene alkaloids using FI-ESI-MS. The data from the individual ESI mass spectra were statistically analyzed using canonical discriminant analysis and analysis of variance. In brief, the sample (100 mg) was extracted by mechanical shaking at room temperature with methanol (5mL) for 16h. Reserpine (500 p.g) was added as an internal reference standard and the sample mixed for 5 min and then centrifuged. An aliquot (30 jxL) of the supernatant was then diluted with of 1 1 methanol/1 % acetic acid (1.0 mL) and an aliquot (20 jjlL) 

The classification of the larkspur species using the chemical alkaloid profiles was in complete agreement with the molecular genomic data [63]. 

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