Genus Cicer

The genus Cicer L. occurs in the monogeneric tribe Cicereae in the sub-family Papilionoideae of the Leguminosae. It contains 43 species of annual and perennial herbs [1] with a geographic distribution from the Himalayas to the Ethiopian Highlands, and has centres of diversity across central Asia. An isolated species, C. canariense occurs on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean [2]. The genus affords considerable research interest since one species, C. arietinum L., the cultivated species... 

Over 200 compounds have been identified so far in the genus although approximately 120 of these are simple hydrocarbons and relatively ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. Nonetheless they may be important as possible recognition chemicals and mediators for oviposition by insect pests [14]. This chapter lists all the known compounds that have been isolated from the genus Cicer under 5 sections in the text. It also ascribes a biological activity to the compounds where applicable to the ecology of Cicer. Where possible, semi-systematic names have been... 

It has already been noted that there is a considerable structural variation among isoflavonoids and at least three other structural types are represented in the genus Cicer. Note that the numbering systems for these variants differ from each other. Isoflav-3-enes conform to the usual flavonoids numbering system but coumestanes and arylbenzofurans are different. 

Fig. 2.15 Isoflavonoid chemistry of the genus Cicer indicating those species (bold type) producing isoflav-3-enes and a 2-arylbenzofuran. (a) Clade III as defined in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences in Cicer (Javadi et al, 2007). (b) Species placed in series Cicer and Pinnatifida in the recent infrageneric classification of Cicer by Davies et al. (2007). (c) Predicted biosynthetic pathways leading to the formation of isoflav-3-enes and a 2-arylbenzofuran in Cicer bijugum, Cicer judaicum, and Cicer pinnatifidum. Maackiain is found in all species of series Cicer and Pinnatifida sensu Davies et al. (2007), and medicagol in Cicer arietinum and all species of series Pinnatifida.

Javadi, F., Wojciechowski, M.F. Yamaguchi, H. (2007). Geographical diversification of the genus Cicer (Leguminosae Papilionoideae) inferred from molecular phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 154, 175-186. 

The genus Astragalus (Figure 107) clearly had different tendencies in evolutionary trait variations (P < 0.001). Astragalus arenarius, A. cicer and A. frigidus had similar evolutionary tendencies (MFC = 0.10) but their SDs differed, the... 

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