Chemotaxonomic significance of alkaloids in the genus Spartidium(Fabaceae — Crotalarieae)

The presence of alkaloids in the monotypic North African genus SpartidiumPomel is reported for the first time. Comparative GC and MS analyses showed that S. saharae(Coss.) Pomel contains the bipiperidyl compounds ammodendrine and N′-formylammodendrine as major and minor alkaloids respectively. In addition, sparteine (a quinolizidine alkaloid) and two isomers of N-cinnamoylhistamine (an imidazole derivative) were present in small quantities. The morphological similarities between Spartidiumand the genus LebeckiaThunb. are not reflected in the alkaloid patterns. In Spartidiumonly a trace of one quinolizidine alkaloid was detected. Ammodendrine, the major Spartidiumalkaloid, is absent or occurs only as a trace amount in Lebeckia.The results provide supporting evidence for Polhill’s (1976) decision to retain Spartidiumas a distinct genus rather than to consider it a species of Lebeckia.