Jatropha curcas flowers from southern Mexico: chemical profile and morphometrics

Abstract

Jatropha curcas flowers from two localities in the Soconusco region, southern Mexico, were chemical and morphometrically analyzed: Camino a la Pita (CP) and Manuel Lazos (ML). Our results showed significant differences in floral volatile composition and flower morphology. A total of 30 compounds were identified; (E)-β-ocimene was the main compound in all flowers, followed by dendrolasin, (Z, E)-α-farnesene, linalool, and (3Z)-hexenyl benzoate. (Z, E)-α-farnesene was the first discriminant compound between flower sex and locations, followed by (3Z)-hexenyl benzoate, (cis)-β-elemenone and linalool based on the Gini index. Morphometrically, there were significant differences between study sites, where CP female flowers were smaller in sepal, petal length and gynoecium height. These phenotypic variations could be the consequence of the high genetic differentiation driven for the environmental conditions where these populations are grown.