Quinolizidine Alkaloid Profiles of Retama raetam, R. sphaerocarpa and R. monosperma

Abstract About 28 quinolizidine alkaloids and the dipiperidine alkaloids am modendrine, dehydroammodendrine and N -formylammodendrine were identified in the alkaloidal extracts of Retama raetam, Retama sphaerocarpa and Retama monosperma by capillary GLC and GLCMS. Alkaloid profiles of the three Retama species with a Mediterranean distribution are more similar than alkaloid patterns of different organs of the same plant. Whereas sparteine and retamine are the major components of stems, lupanine, retam ine, N-methylcytisine and cytisine dominate in flowers and pods, and cytisine in seeds indicating a high degree of organ specificity of alkaloid storage.