Meconopsis genera

Slavik J, Slavikova L (1977) Alkaloids of some Himalayan species of Meconopsis genus. Collect Czech Chem Commun 42 132-139... 

It has been suggested that the presence of (—)-amurensinine (25) as the main alkaloid in various Meconopsis species indicates the relationship of this genus with Papaver species of the Section Scapiflora 80). By way of parallel thinking, the genus Roemeria, which is known to produce isopavine bases, can be interrelated with the Papaver species of the Section Scapiflora as well as with Meconopsis species. 

Formerly, rhoeadine and papaverrubine alkaloids were known to occur only in the plants of the genus Papaver. Recently, Slavik et al. have shown that rhoeadine and papaverrubine E are present in Bocconia frutescens and papaverrubine D in Meconopsis betonicifolia, M. horridula, M. napaulensis, M. paniculata, M. robusta, M. rudis, and M. sinuata (33, 50). The genus Meconopsis is botanically closely related to the genus Papaver, a relation thus confirmed chemotaxonomically (see structures 152-154 in Table V). 

Slavik showed that the presence of the rhoeadane alkaloids is not restricted to the plants of the genus Papaver but also to those of Bocconia and Meconopsis (33, 50,221). Dimeric alkaloids were found in the plants of the genus Bocconia, Dicentra, Papaver, and Sanguinaria (see Table I). 

Rhoeadine and papaverrubine (norrhoeadine) alkaloids which were previously believed to occur only within the genus Papaver have now been found to be present in two other Papaveraceae genera, namely Bocconia and Meconopsis. In Bocconia frutescens L. rhoeadine alkaloids accompany a variety of protopine, protoberberine, and benzophenanthridine bases. ... 

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