Abstract
Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata) has long been regarded as a living fossil from the Tertiary period of Mesozoic Era for its distinguished yellowish-red color with purplish-pink streaks presented in its heartwood. With this elegant appearance that matches the color “red” for good fortune in the Taiwanese culture, Taiwania is supposed to be a popular wood in Taiwan where it is a native species of. Extractives contribute to the properties of wood. It is a fascinating subject to investigate extractives biosynthesis in the process of heartwood formation. Up to date, there is no phytochemistry study of Taiwania sapwood. In this study, three new sesquiterpenoids, Taiwania A (1), Taiwania B (2), and Taiwania C (3), together with 75 known compounds in the Taiwania sapwood. The structures of extractives were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data and comparison with the literatures. This study supported secondary reaction lignans could be found in sapwood that confirmed our previous research on the Taiwania-type of heartwood formation.
Highlights
Heartwood is the large part of the wood, and the extractives contained in it are closely related to the properties of the wood, such as strength, durability, color, and odor
25 compounds were identified in sapwood essential oil, including one monoterpenoid, α-terpineol (4); 23 sesquiterpenoids, namely α-copaene (5), α-cedrene (6), β-cedrene (7), β-copaene (8), γ-muurolene (9), α-muurolene (10), γ-cadinene (11), δ-cadinene (12), calamenene (13), α-cadinene (14), α-calacorene (15), elemol (16), globulol (17), cedrol (18), 1,10-di-epi-cubenol (19), epi-cubenol (20), γ-eudesmol (21), δ-cadinol (22), T-muurolol (23), α-eudesmol (24), α-cadinol (25), 8-cedren-13-ol (26), and cadalene (27); and one diterpenoid, ferruginol (28)
The biosynthesis and accumulation of the extractives is an important process for the formation of heartwood, and the content and types of the extractives in the heartwood influence the special properties of wood
Summary
Heartwood is the large part of the wood, and the extractives contained in it are closely related to the properties of the wood, such as strength, durability, color, and odor. The heartwood formation could be classified into three types based on distribution patterns of extractives in stem wood of various trees species [1, 2]. Type I heartwood formation, i.e., Robinia-type heartwood formation, where the accumulation of phenolic extractives starts in the transition zone (TZ). In this case, no phenolic precursors were found in the aging sapwood. Type II (Juglans-type) heartwood formation, where the phenolic precursors gradual accumulated centripetally with progressive aging of the sapwood tissues. The extractives that characterize the Type II heartwood were formed in the TZ either by de novo biosynthesis or secondary
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