Studies on plant cuticular waxes—II: Alkanes from members of the genus Agave (Agavaceae), the genera Kalanchoe, Echeveria, Crassula and Sedum (Crassulaceae) and the genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) with an examination of Hutchinson's sub-division of the Angiosperms into Herbaceae and Lignosae

Abstract

Analyses of leaf wax alkanes from 19 Agave species are reported and compared with those previously obtained for Aloe species. Examples of leaf wax alkane patterns for 16 species from four further genera of the family Crassulaceae are recorded to extend published information on this family: branched chain alkanes are absent in all the species presently reported. Alkanes from 19 species of Eucalyptus are reported and discussed in conjunction with the occurrence of other leaf wax constituents in this genus. Hutchinson's sub-division of the Angiosperms into Herbaceae and Lignosae is examined on the basis of a large number of analyses of leaf wax alkanes from many orders.