Flavonoid variation of the Aconitum jaluense complex (Ranunculaceae) in Korea

Thirteen flavonoid compounds were isolated and identified from five Korean species in the A. jaluense complex; they were glycosylated derivatives of the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin, and of the flavone apigenin. The flavonoid data revealed the presence of two entities in the complex in Korea; one includes A. jaluense s. str. and the other includes the remaining four species which have identical flavonoid profiles. Based on these results, in conjunction with evidence from the morphology, it is suggested that the taxa should be recognized as two subspecies of A. jaluense s. 1. The flavonoid data also provide strong evidence for the occurrence of hybridization between A. jaluense s. str. and A. japonicum subsp. napiforme at Mt. Chiri in southern Korea.