Chemodiversity of saponins and their taxonomic importance in Clematis genus (Ranunculaceae).

Distribution patterns of chemical compounds in plants have been used for biosystematic and phylogenetic studies. Saponin profile of twelve major taxa of Clematis genus, belonging to sections, Rectae, Clematis, Meclatis, Tubulosae and Viorna were analyzed by HPLC coupled with diode array detector and ESI-MS. The chemodiversity profile of saponins has unambiguously delimited the taxa of Clematis at subgenus, section and subsection level. The distribution of saponins in Clematis genus provides useful taxonomic markers and results are presented in phenograms. The compound Huzhangoside D was common and the most abundant in analyzed species of the genus. The morphological analysis was also conducted of the same taxa and presented as cluster tree. The distribution and chemotaxonomic importance of saponins profile within the genus is discussed.