Taxonomy of pinus species based on the seed oil fatty acid compositions

• Published in: Trees (Berlin, West) Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 113 - 118
• Main Authors: WOLFF, R. L, COMPS, B, MARPEAU, A. M, DELUC, L. G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.12.1997; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acclimatization; Biological and medical sciences; Esters; Fatty acids; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Liquid chromatography; Oils & fats; Plant cytology, morphology, systematics, chorology and evolution; Seeds; Spermatophyta; Systematics (diagnosis, chromosome numbers); Taxonomy; Gymnospermae; Chemotaxonomy; Lipids; Coniferales; Spermatophyta; Chemical composition; Specific identification; Woody plant; Pinus; Multivariate analysis; Fatty acids
• ISSN: 0931-1890; 1432-2285
• DOI: 10.1007/PL00009698

The fatty acid compositions of the seed oils from ten pine species have been established by capillary gas-liquid chromatography of the methyl esters. With regard to either normal fatty acids or Δ5-olefinic acids, the general pattern of fatty acids did not differ from that of other pine seed oils reported previously. The main fatty acid was linoleic (9,12-18:2) acid (44.4-57.1%), followed by either oleic (9-18:1) acid (13.4-24.5%) or pinolenic (5,9,12-18:3) acid (1.5-25.2%). When applying multivariate analyses to the chemometric data (13 variables) of 49 pine species (ca. 40% of the living pine species), it was possible to distinguish between several sections: Pinea, Longifolia, Halepensis, Ponderosa-Banksiana, Sylvestris, and Cembra. The latter section was clearly divided into two sub-groups. A few species that presented a low overall content of Δ5-olefinic acids, and that grow in warm-temperate regions, were isolated from the bulk of other pine species. It is hypothesized that Δ5-olefinic acids might be related to cold-acclimation.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]