Narcissus and Daffodil

248 O.A. Cherkasov and O.N. Tolkachev
List and International Register of Daffodil Names’ (RHS, 1975) contains over
9000 names. Narcissus populations growing in the Caucasus are believed to be
natural forms. Narcissus species possess a considerable vegetative mass, exceeding
that of Galanthus woronowii.
Galanthamine content was determined for 118 varieties of Narcissus. In 33
garden cultivars, the level of galanthamine exceeded 0.1% of the dry weight of
the plant. In wild populations, the concentration was almost zero.
A collection of Narcissus species and cultivars has been maintained for a
number of years in the introduction plots of VILAR. Analysis of the alkaloid
content of bulbs of 26 narcissus revealed that galanthamine was present in all
samples (Cherkasov et al., 1985). Of 19 Narcissus varieties, 15 contained foliar
galanthamine. The cultivar ‘Favourite’ contained 0.15% on a dry weight basis,
whereas in other cultivars the galanthamine content ranged from trace levels to
0.09%, fluctuating from year to year (Cherkasov et al., 1986). At flowering time,
leaves and bulbs of narcissus cultivars growing in the field contained 0.02–0.10
and 0.05–0.10% galanthamine (dry weight basis), respectively. The alkaloid
contents in five greenhouse cultivars were correspondingly 0.10–0.20 and 0.05–
0.20% (dry weight). Thus, after harvesting the flowers, the leaves may be used
for galanthamine production (Maisuradze et al., 1985). Of 81 cultivars of
narcissus, 72 contained galanthamine in both leaves and bulbs. Galanthamine
was reported for the first time in 79 narcissus cultivars (Cherkasov et al., 1988,
1993). The galanthamine concentration in the crude drug was dependent on the
plant variety, period of harvest, weather conditions, etc. The highest level of
galanthamine was found in leaves of eight populations, up to 0.2–0.5%. The
highest galanthamine content was found at the phase of bud formation when the
growth rate was the highest.
Narcissus ‘Fortune’ was proposed as a prospective subject for cultivation for
galanthamine extraction, as it was characterised by a consistency of chemical
composition. This cultivar is widely used in commercial floriculture (Cherkasov
et al., 1989; Maisuradze et al., 1985; Zaitseva and Novikova, 1977). The alkaloid
composition of leaves and bulbs, and the dynamics of galanthamine accumulation
during the growing period, were studied for ‘Fortune’. Galanthamine,
gemanthamine and a novel alkaloid named fortucine (Figure 8.1) were identified
among the five alkaloids isolated. The structure of fortucine was elucidated by
nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry, the latter distinguishing
its structure from the earlier known lycorine-type alkaloids by the atypical
cissoid fusion of the B/C rings (Gorbunova et al., 1984; Tokhtabaeva et al.,
1987). The seed germination of Narcissus species has been studied by Cherkasov
(1982).
Drying regimes for narcissus leaves have been studied, and the optimal parameters
for galanthamine production were determined (80 °C, 0.77 kg/m 2 /h)
(Voroshilov et al., 1987, 1989).
Cell cultures of the above plants were also studied. They were proposed for
clonal and accelerated reproduction of rare species (Popov and Cherkasov, 1983,
1984). It has been shown that ‘shoot-clump’ cultures of Narcissus confusus in liquid
medium were capable of producing galanthamine (Bastida et al., 1996). Treatment
with sucrose increased the growth of the cultures and affected galanthamine
biosynthesis (Selles et al., 1997b).