Isolation, characterization, and systematic significance of 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid in Rosaceae

2-Pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid was isolated from Potentilla anserina. Until now this substance was only found in bacteria and not in higher plants. By sterile cultivation it was verified that this compound is genuine also in plants. In addition the systematic relevance of 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid within the Rosaceae was tested. The compound seems to be a chemotaxonomic marker for the Rosoideae sensu stricto proposed by Morgan er al, (Morgan, D.R., Soltis, D.E., Robertson, K.R., 1994. Systematic and evolutionary implications of rbcL sequence variation in Rosaceae. American Journal of Botany 81, 890-903). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.