Variations among anthocyanins in the floral organs of seven cultivars of Hyacinthus orientalis

The accumulation of seven acylated anthocyanins in four cultivars of Hyacinthus orientalis with blue flowers and of nine acylated anthocyanins in three cultivars with red or pink flowers was demonstrated by high-performance liquid chromatography. A survey of the anthocyanins in the floral organs (perianth, anthers, ovaries) of these cultivars revealed that the dominant anthocyanin was delphinidin 3-O-(6-O-trans-p-coumaroyl-beta-D-glucoside)-5-O-(6-O-malonyl-beta-D-glucoside) (4) in the cultivars with blue flowers and cyanidin 3-O-(6-O-trans-p-coumaroyl-beta-D-glucoside)-5-O-(6-O-malonyl-beta-D-glucoside) (6) or pelargonidin 3-O-(6-O-trans-p-coumaroyl-beta-D-glucoside)-5-O-(6-O-malonyl-beta-D-glucoside) (7) in cultivars with red or pink flowers. Different patterns of anthocyanin were observed in each floral organ. In the cultivars with red or pink flowers, there were remarkable differences in levels of 6 and 7 between the perianth and ovaries and the anthers. By contrast, in two of the four cultivars with blue flowers, little difference between organs was found in relative levels of 4 and 6.