Chemical and genetic differentiation of Ligularia hodgsonii in Japan and China.

The chemical composition of the root extract and neutral base sequences of L. hodgsonii samples collected in Japan and China were examined. From the Japanese and the Chinese samples, 6beta-(angeloyloxy)furanoeremophilan-15-oic acid and 3beta-acetoxy-6beta-[(2-methylbutanoyl)oxy]furanoeremophilan-10beta-ol were isolated as the major component, respectively. The sequence of the internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) of the ribosomal RNA gene was different in the Japanese and the Chinese samples. In contrast to the significant genetic difference, chemical diversity was limited to the positions of O-functionalities on the furanoeremophilane skeleton, supporting our hypothesis that the production of furanoeremophilanes is ecologically advantageous.