Phytochemistry. 2017 Jul;139:56-59. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2017.04.004. Epub 2017 Apr 13.
- 1
- Pharmazeutisches
Institut, Abteilung Pharmazeutische Biologie,
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Gutenbergstraße 76, 24118 Kiel,
Germany. Electronic address: czidorn@pharmazie.uni-kiel.de.
Abstract
Plants
are still by far the most important source of natural products. For
higher plants as source materials identification and documentation are
less challenging than for many other groups of organisms such as
microorganisms or marine invertebrates. Nonetheless, many studies in
natural products chemistry and phytopharmacology involving higher plants
are flawed because the plant material is erroneously assigned,
inaccurately documented, untraceable, or not named in accordance with
the rules of nomenclature. Recently, the importance of the proper usage
of plant nomenclature has been highlighted in a dedicated series of
articles in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology
and the importance of taxonomic and geographic information in a
viewpoint in Natural Products Reports. Here, the importance of three
related points is being emphasized: a) the traceability of the
identification of plant source materials, b) easy access to vouchers and
digital vouchers of the studied plants, and c) standards for accurate
geographic data about the collection sites of these plants.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
GPS coordinates; Herbaria; Plant collection site; Plant identification; Taxonyms; Voucher scans
