Microscopical, macroscopical and chemical investigations and their uses in chemotaxonomy of Crataegus pontica C. Koch

Abstract

The Crataegus genus is widely distributed in Iran. This genus belongs to Rosaceae family and has 17 species in Iran one of which is Crataegus pontica C. Koch. In this paper, we analyzed some microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of this plant, then compared them with other features that were presented previously in previous reports. We analyzed all components in C. pontica, using thin layer chromatography method and then specified the type of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acid in C. pontica. Hyproside, rutin and chlorogenic acid were the main flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic occurred acid in this plant. Also, we analyzed its flavonoids quantitatively based on Deutsch Pharmacopoeia method according to hyproside content. Because, to determine the chemosystematic relevancies in some species flavonoids are used, so in this paper we compared C. pontica with 3 other species of its genus such as C. monogyna, C. melanocarpa and C. curvisepala that are found in Iran, and also with the medicinal standard species of Crataegus genus which is called C. oxyacantha. Finally we concluded that hyproside, rutin and chlorogenic acid were the main and common structural components in all species of that genus which were mentioned above.

Keywords

• Crataegus pontica
• Chlorogenic acid
• Rutin
• Chemotaxonomy
• Hyproside