The distribution of fatty acids including petroselinic and tariric acids in the fruit and seed oils of the Pittosporaceae, Araliaceae, Umbelliferae, Simarubaceae and Rutaceae

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of the fruit oils or seed oils of Pittosporaceae (eight genera, 10 species), Araliaceae (two species), Simarubaceae (three species), and of one umbelliferous and one rutaceous species were determined by gas chromatography, argentation TLC and ozonolysis. In the Pittosporaceae, in which the major C 18 fatty acid of all species was either oleic acid (18:1, 9c) or linoleic acid (18:2, 9c, 12c), large amounts of C 20 and C 22 fatty acids seem to occur regularly. Petroselinic (18:1, 6c) and tariric (18:1, 6a) acids were absent. However, petroselinic acid was the major fatty acid in the Araliaceae and Umbelliferae. In these two families only small amounts of C 20 and C 22 acids were detected and tariric acid was absent. The Rutales contained relatively high amounts of trans-octadecenoic acids (18:1, 9t). Tariric acid was the major fatty acid in the two species of Picramnia (Simarubraceae), which also contained small amounts of petroselinic acid. The major fatty acids in Ailanthus glandulosa (Simarubaceae) and Phellodendron amurense (Rutaceae) were linoleic or linolenic acid (18:3, 9c, 12c, 15c); these species contained neither tariric nor petroselinic acid and the levels of C 20 and C 22 fatty acids were low. The appearance of schizogenous resin canals and polyacetylenes and the absence of iridoids and petroselinic acid allows the Pittosporaceae to be separated from the Rutales and Araliales and to be placed in an independent order, the Pittosporales. Arguments for a rather close relationship of the Pittosporales to the Araliales and Cornales (including the Escalloniaceae) are presented.