The Geography of Phytochemical Races

40 2 Examples Within Continents
Fig. 2.21 Compounds 79–87, alkaloids from Thalictrum minus collected near Vojvodina, Serbia
2.3.8 Valeriana offi cinalis (Valerianaceae)
This example, which involves terpene variation in Valeriana offi cinalis L. subsp.
collina (Wallr.) Nyman, features an impressive range of quantitative differences
between two regions, the Apuan Alps in northwestern Tuscany and the Karst
Plateau of northeastern Italy, and the northwestern corner of (former) Yugoslavia
(Fig. 2.22). Two populations were sampled from the former, one from Pian della
Fioba (840 m), referred to as Alps A in Table 2.5, and one from La Tecchia (900 m)
referred to as Alps B. The sample from the Karst Plateau was collected at Sgonico
(210 m), near Trieste, Italy (Coassini Lokar and Moneghini, 1989). Major quantitative
differences between the two areas are summarized in Table 2.5 where values
for percentage composition of common leaf terpenes are given. Statistical analysis
clearly supported the existence of two chemical varieties.