Proportions of individual anthocyanins in the genus Metrosideros

Abstract

Flowers of eight Metrosideros species were subjected to qualitative and relative quantitative examination for anthocyanins. In all, 11 anthocyanins were found in the 18 populations which were investigated. Peonidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside were ubiquitous, while 3-glucosides of delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin in addition to 3,5-diglucosides of peonidin, cyanidin, delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin 'did show a restricted distribution. Minor amounts of cyanidin-3-rutinoside were found in M. fulgens. Different populations of the same species had approximately the same anthocyanin pattern. The anthocyanin profiles examined by principal component analysis support Dawson's redefinition of Metrosideros, which includes a merger of the genus Metrosideros with the genus Mearnsia.