Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Profiles of Ten Pilea Species (Urticaceae).

Abstract

The genus Pilea Lindley is the largest among the Urticaceae family. The large size and little commercial interest of this genus make difficult its taxonomy, with few revisions since Weddell. Very few revisions have been reported about the Colombian species since 1939, when Killip made a contribution to the genus for the northern Andes (Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela). To contribute to the knowledge of the Pilea genus in Colombia, field trips were made in the department of Valle del Cauca and ten herbarium samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectral profiles analysis; which allowed us to identify 33 compounds type monoterpene, sesquiterpene, diterpene, free fatty acids or their methyl, ethyl esters or amides, and triterpenes. It was concluded that Triterpenes were the best chemotaxonomical discriminants for the ten herbarium samples as ten species.