Flavonoid Patterns and their Diversity in ten Stachys L. (Lamiaceae) Species from Iran

Stachys genus with medicinal properties and high polymorphic features has been considered oneof the largest genera of Lamiaceae. The aim of this study was to determine the flavonoid patternvariations and flavonoid groups in ten Stachys species belonging to two sections; Fragilicaulis,and Aucheriana. The studied species were collected from natural habitats in Iran and analysedfor their flavonoid constituents using thin layer chromatography with silica gel. The purificationof the flavonoid compounds of each species was carried out using column chromatography withsephadex LH20. The identification of flavonoid class was confirmed by spectral data. In orderto study the flavonoid variations, cluster analysis was used with SPSS ver.20 software. Theresults of this study showed that the highest variations were found in Stachys pilifera Benth.,Stachys aucheri Benth., Stachys ballotiformis Vatke and Stachys benthamiana Boiss. Based onthe results, six flavonoid classes were identified. Most of the flavonoid classes were found to beflavones. The flavones and isoflavones were observed in section Fragilicaulis and flavanones,flavonols, isoflavones, dihydroflavonol, chalcones and flavones were in section Aucheriana. Itcan be concluded that the flavonoid compounds are appropriate markers in chemotaxonomicstudies of the Stachys genus.