Discussion on identification and phylogenetic relationships of medicinal plants in Selaginellaceae by NIRS / 中华中医药杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:to study and solve some difficult problems in identification of medicinal plants in Selaginellaceae, and research the phylogenetic relationships among them.Methods:All the spectra were collected by using a Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer equipped with a fiber-optic probe and a InGaAs detector for reflectance measurements.All the samples were scanned from 9 000 cm-1 to 4 000 cm-1,and each sample spectrum was obtained as an automatic mean of 32 times.The samples were measured 5 times.The average spectra obtained were transformed to first-order derivative spectra,and the latter were computerized with OPUS/INDENT operation software to conduct cluster analysis.Results:According to the information obtained from spectrograms and dendrograms,two types of S.heterostachys and two types of S.delicatula were identified as the same species respectively,and the variable type of the latter should be treated as a variety.S.tamariscina and S.pulvinata have very close relationship,indicating it is reasonable that they were applied as the same medicinal materials Juanbai.There is close phylogenetic relationship between S.moellendorffii and S.delicatula.This is also accord with the fact that they were used as the same folk herbal medicine.Conclusion:It shows that NIRS can be conveniently and quickly used for authentication of the medicinal plant species,resolving some correlative difficult problems,and inducing certain relationships between interspecies.