Narcissus and Daffodil

162 J. Bastida and F. Viladomat
Table 6.2 Continued
Species* Alkaloids References
Narcissus L. cv. Texas
(contd.)
Narcissus L. cv. Totus
Albus Prior = N. papyraceus
Ker. Gawl.
1 lycorine
63 narciclasine
76 narwedine
11 pluviine
12 norpluviine
Narcissus L. cv. Twink 69 galanthamine
7 galanthine
49 haemanthamine
1 lycorine
11 pluviine
Narcissus L. cv. Van Sion 69 galanthamine
72 norgalanthamine
7 galanthine
49 haemanthamine
23 homolycorine
78 norlycoramine
31 lycorenine
1 lycorine
11 pluviine
58 tazettine
Ceriotti et al., 1967
Kirby and Michael,
1973
Kirby and Tiwari,
1966
Piozzi et al., 1969
63 narciclasine Ceriotti et al., 1967
Piozzi et al., 1969
Boit and Ehmke,
1956
Boit et al., 1957c
Boit and Ehmke,
1956
Boit et al., 1957c
Narcissus L. cv. Verger 63 narciclasine Ceriotti et al., 1967
Piozzi et al., 1969
Narcissus sp. 69 galanthamine
63 narciclasine
64 narciprimine
2 poetaminine
Ceriotti, 1967
Cherkasov et al., 1989
Piozzi et al., 1968
Willaman and Li,
1970
Note
*The taxonomical aspects are based on the works of Barra and López-González (1984a,b), Blanchard
(1990), Dorda and Fernández-Casas (1984a,b, 1989, 1990, 1994), Dorda et al. (1991), Fernandes (1975,
1991), Fernández-Casas (1983, 1984a,b, 1986) and Pugsley (1933) for wild Narcissus species and
hybrids, and those of Boit and Döpke (1956), Boit and Ehmke (1956), Boit et al. (1957b,c), Jefferson-
Brown (1991), Kington (1989) and Piozzi et al. (1969) for Narcissus cultivars.
Although L-phenylalanine (L-phe) and L-tyrosine (L-tyr) are closely related in
chemical structure, they are not interchangeable in plants. In the Amaryllidaceae
alkaloids, L-phe serves as a primary precursor of the C 6 –C 1 fragment, corresponding
to ring A and the benzylic position (C-6), and L-tyr is the precursor of ring C,
the two-carbon side chain (C-11 and C-12) and nitrogen, C 6 –C 2 –N. The conversion
of L-phe to the C 6 –C 1 unit requires the loss of two carbon atoms from the side chain
as well as the introduction of at least two oxygenated substituents into the aromatic
ring, which is performed via cinnamic acids. The presence of the enzyme phenylalanine
ammonia lyase (PAL) has been demonstrated in Amaryllidaceae (Suhadolnik
et al., 1963), and the elimination of ammonia mediated by this enzyme is known
to occur in an antiperiplanar manner to give trans-cinnamic acid, with loss of the