Flavonoids of Eupatorieae

Abstract

According to Robinson and King (1977) and King and Robinson (1987), Eupatorieae comprise approximately 2000 species arrayed in 180 genera. Bremer et al. (1994) recognize only 170 genera but put the species number nearer 2400. Before we proceed with description of flavonoids of the tribe, it is necessary to attend to some nomenclatural problems. One of the results of the recent monographic treatment of the tribe (King and Robinson, 1987) is a generic realignment of taxa. Many of the flavonoid reports in the litera­ture involve plants whose taxonomic positions or nomenclature have been changed to correspond to the newer view of the tribe. As an aid to the reader, therefore, we list in Table 10-1 name changes that affect our pre­sentation of flavonoid data. Our use of the generic concepts presented in King and Robinson (1987) is motivated more by wanting to have a recent taxonomic and nomenclatural reference point for all flavonoid reports than by believing in phyletic reality of all generic concepts presented in that comprehensive study and earlier publications, some of which are still con­troversial (e.g., Gage, 1985; Scott, 1985; Sundberg, 1985; Turner, 1985a,ó, 1997; Nesom 1989c; Bremer et al., 1994). Flavonoid information exists for 32 genera. Notes on size of taxa and their distribution come from Bremer (1994) unless stated otherwise.