Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Predicting presence of proazulenes in theAchillea millefolium group

  • Published:
Folia Geobotanica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Phytosociological classification of vegetation is often justified on the grounds it provides a means of predicting properties other than floristic composition. It is difficult to find examples inliterature where this possibility of prediction is actually used. In this paper, we examine the qualitative variation in proazulenes of theAchillea millefolium group as a function of cytological, abiotic and floristic factors. Sixty-six sites in natural populations were examined. Twenty to forty individuals per site were tested in the field for the presence of proazulenes. Ploidy level of collected specimens was examined to differentiate between taxa within the aggregate. Soil analyses were also performed and species composition of the sites was recorded. The floristic data was classified and attributed to phytosociological units.

Canonical correspondence analysis was used to investigate the relationships between environment and floristic data, t-tests were performed and correlation coefficients were calculated to distinguish the mutual relationships between environmental factors, populations and relative frequency of proazulenes-containing individuals. In the area under study, hexaploid populations of yarrows were characterized by a low frequency of proazulenes. They were confined to dry and nutrient-poor habitats of fallows, slightly moist grasslands and fringes. Tetraploid populations consisted of different types. Both high and low frequencies of proazulenes-containing individuals occurred. A high frequency of such plants per site was positively correlated with phosphate, magnesium and manganese and negatively with carbonate and hydrogen ion concentration in soil.

The results show that effective prediction of proazulenes-containing individuals is possible from the species composition of the sites, which is a comparatively simple procedure avoiding more expensive cytological and chemical assessment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arbeitsgruppe Bodenkunde (1982):Bodenkundliche Kartieranleitung. Ed. 3. E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Hannover.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bemmerlein F.A. &Fischer H.S. (1985): Das pflanzensoziologische Programmsystem am Regionalen Rechenzentrum Erlangen.Hoppea 44: 373–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biste C. (1978): Zytotaxonomische Untersuchungen des FormenkreisesAchillea millefolium (Asteraceae) in der DDR.Feddes Repert. 88: 533–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braun-Blanquet J. (1964):Pflanzensoziologie. Grundzüge der Vegetationskunde. Ed. 3. Springer, Wien.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bugge G. (1991): Untersuchungen der Sippen desAchillea-millefolium-Komplexes auf Azulengehalt und Ploidiegrad.Angew. Bot. 65: 331–339

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dabrowska J. (1972): Obserwacje rozmieszenia azulenowych i bezazulenovych formAchillea L. na Śląsku na tłe danych o rozmiesczeniu taksonów rodzajuAchillea L. na tym obszarze.Herba Polon. 18: 40–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dabrowska J. (1982): Systematic and geographic studies of the genusAchillea L. in Poland with special reference to Silesia.Acta Univ. Wratislav. 419. Prace Bot. 24: 1–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dierschke H. (1997):Synopsis der Pflanzengesellschaften Deutschlands. 3: Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. Selbstverlag der Floristisch-soziologischen Arbeitsgemeninschaft e.V., Göttingen.

  • Ehrendorfer F. (1953): Systematische und cytogenetische Untersuchungen an europäischen Rassen desAchillea millefolium-Komplexes.Österr. Bot. Z. 100: 583–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrendorfer F. (1957): Akzessorische Chromosomen, Kreuzungsfertilität und Polyploidie beimAchillea millefolium-Komplex (Compositae).Naturwissenschaften 44: 405–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrendorfer F. (1962): Cytotaxonomische Beiträge zur Genese der mitteleuropäischen Flora und Vegetation.Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Ges. 75: 137–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrendorfer F. (ed.) (1973):Liste der Gefässpflanzen Mitteleuropas. Ed. 2. Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer H.S. (1994) Simulation der räumlichen Verteilung von Pflanzengesellschaften auf der Basis von Standortskarten. Dargestellt am Beispiel des MaB-Testgebiets Davos.Veröff. Geobot. Inst. ETH Stiftung Rübel Zürich 122.

  • Hauser K. (1988): Pflanzengesellschaften der mehrschürigen Wiesen (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) Nordbayerns.Diss. Bot. 128.

  • Hofmann L., Fritz D., Nits S., Kollmansberger H. &Drawert F. (1992): Essential oil composition of three polyploids in theAchillea millefolium “complex”.Phytochemistry 31: 537–542.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jurenitsch J. (1992):Achillea. In:Hänsel R., Keller K., Rimpler H. &Schneider G.,Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis. 4: Drogen A-D, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 45–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lange D. (1996):Untersuchungen zum Heilpflanzenhandel in Deutschland. Ein Beitrag zum internationalen Artenschutz. Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Bonn, Bad Godesberg,

    Google Scholar 

  • Mather P.M. (1987):Computer processing of remotely-sensed images. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michler B., Preitschopf A., Erhard P. &Arnold C.-G. (1992):Achillea millefolium: Zusammenhänge zwischen Standortfaktoren, Ploidiegrad, Vorkommen von Proazulenen und Gehalt an Chamazulen im äterischen Öl.Pharm. Zeitung Wiss. 137: 23–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michler B. &Arnold C.-G. (1996): Pyrrolizidinalkaloide in Beinwellwurzeln. Ein Beispiel für die Variabilität sekundärer Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe.Deutsche Apotheker-Zeitung 136, 29: 15–20.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muller C.H. (1969): Allelopathy as a factor in ecological process.Vegetatio 18: 348–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muller C.H. (1970): Phytotoxins as plant habitat variables.Recent Advances Phytochem. 3: 106–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberdorfer E. (1978):Süddeutsche Pflanzengesellschaften II. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberdorfer E. (1983):Süddeutsche Pflanzengesellschaften III. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttagart, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberdorfer E. (1994):Pflanzensoziologische Exkursionsflora. Ed. 6. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Preitschopf A. (1989):Achillea millefolium: Vorkommen — Ploidiestufe — Proazulenführung. Diploma Thesis, Universität Erlangen, Erlangen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pudlatz H. (1975): Zur Transformation der Variablen bei mangelnder Normalverteilung.Giessener Geogr. Schriften 32: 29–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saukel J. &Länger R. (1992a): DieAchillea millefolium-Gruppe (Asteraceae) in Mitteleuropa, 1 — Problemstellung, Merkmalserhebung und Untersuchungsmaterial.Phyton (Horn, Austria) 31: 185–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saukel J. &Länger R. (1992b): DieAchillea millefolium-Gruppe (Asteraceae) in Mitteleuropa, 2 — Populationsvergleich, multivariate Analyse und biosystematische Anmerkungen.Phyton (Horn, Austria) 32: 47–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saukel J. &Länger R. (1992c):Achillea pratensisSaukel & Länger, spec. nova, eine tetraploide Sippe derAchillea millefolium-Gruppe.Phyton (Horn, Austria) 32: 159–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlee D. (1992):Ökologische Biochemie. Ed. 2. Fischer Verlag, Jena.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahl E. (1952): Ist der Proazulengehalt der Schafgarbe (Achillea millefolium L.) genetisch oder umweltbedingt?Parmazie 7: 863–868.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stahl E. (1953): Mikro-Azulennachweismethode für Schafgarben.Deutsche Apotheker-Zeitung 12: 197–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • ter Braak C.J.F. (1988):CANOCO — a FORTRAN program for canonical community ordination by [partial] [detrended] [canonical] correspondence analysis, principal components analysis and redundancy analysis (version 2.1). Technical report: LWA8802. Agricultural Mathematics Group, Wageningen.

    Google Scholar 

  • ter Braak C.J.F. (1990):Update notes: CANOCO Version 3.10. Agricultural Mathematics Group, Wageningen.

    Google Scholar 

  • VDLUFA (1991):Methodenbuch 1, Die Untersuchung von Böden. VDLUFA-Verlag, Darmstadt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vetter S. (1995): Kreuzungsexperimente mit tetraploiden Sippen derAchillea millefolium-Gruppe (Asteraceae): Sesquiterpene und morphologische Merkmale hybridogener F1-Populationen im Vergleich.Liner Biol. Beitr. 27: 1161–1211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vetter S. &Franz Ch. (1998): Samenbildung bei Kreuzungen und Selbstungen mit polyploidenAchillea-Arten (Asteraceae).Z. Arznei- Gewürzpflanzen 3: 11–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westhoff V. &van der Maarel E. (1973): The Braun-Blanquet approach. In:Whittaker R.H. (ed.),Classification of Plant communities, Junk Verlag, The Hague, pp. 287–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Wildi O. &Orlóci L. (1990):Numerical exploration of community patterns. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wildi O. (1989): A new numerical solution to traditional phytosociological tabular classification.Vegetatio 81: 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baiersdorfer Strasse 11, D-91341, Röttenbach, Germany

    Barbara Michler

  2. Institut für Botanik und Pharmazeutische Biologie, Staudtstrasse 5, D-91058, Erlangen, Germany

    Carl-Gerold Arnold

Authors
  1. Barbara Michler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Carl-Gerold Arnold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara Michler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Michler, B., Arnold, CG. Predicting presence of proazulenes in theAchillea millefolium group. Folia Geobot 34, 143–161 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803081

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803081

Keywords

Search

Navigation