Perfil químico e quimiossistemática da ordem urticales

Abstract

The chemical profile of the order Urticales clarifies chemical affinities among its six families. With exception of the pair Moraceae and Cannabinaceae for which evolutionary chemical gradients are clearly perceptible, little can be said with respect to the other families. Ulmaceae and Urticaceae possess rather specific chemical compositions that are correlated only with difficulty, while Barbeyaceae and Cecropiaceae are chemically not sufficiently known. Moraceae is a predominantly arboreus family, while Cannabinaceae is exclusively herbaceus. This sequence in habits is mirrowed by the chemical information. In both families the metabolites are strongly prenylated. However in Moraceae predominate derivativies of the shikimic acid route, while in Cannabinaceae predominate derivativies of the acetic acid route.