ISOLATION OF RESVERATROL FROM FESTUCA-VERSUTA AND EVIDENCE FOR THE WIDESPREAD OCCURRENCE OF THIS STILBENE IN THE POACEAE

Resveratrol has been isolated from Festuca versuta seed and confirmed to be present in F. arundinacea (seed and forage), in several Lolium and Hordeum species, in Stipa robusta, and in Poa alsodes. Most of the plant materials examined were naturally infected with fungal endophytes of the genus Acremonium; however, some endophyte-free samples from these same species also contained resveratrol, usually in reduced concentrations. These observations represent the first reports of the stilbene resveratrol in the Poaceae.