ALKALOIDS 1 75 



An interesting group of alkaloids found in the legume genus 

 Lupinus and related groups may prove, eventually, to be of consider- 

 able systematic significance within the family Leguminosae. These 

 quinolizine derivatives, represented by a relatively small number of 

 specific types, are also known to occur in the families Berberidaceae, 

 Chenopodiaceae, Papaveraceae, and Solanaceae, but it is the Legumi- 

 nosae in which the alkaloids have been most intensively studied. In the 

 latter family, only the tribes Genisteae, Podalyrieae, and Sophoreae 

 of the sub-family Papilionoideae include genera which produce these 

 alkaloids; for example, Lupinus, Thermopsis, Baptisia, Cytisus, 

 Sarothamnus, Genista, Sophora, and Podalyria. Certain of the lupine 

 alkaloids, such as cytisine and spartein are of quite widespread 

 occurrence within these tribes. Biogenetic evidence plus correlated 

 genetic studies should provide information that will yield further in- 

 sight into phylogenetic problems. Intensive investigation of the lupine 

 alkaloids using several different approaches is currently underway by 

 Nowacki and colleagues (Kazimierski and Nowacki, 1961). Schutte 

 and Nowacki (1959) have presented evidence that sparteine is synthe- 

 sized from the amino acid, lysine, and Nowacki (1958) and Birecka 

 et al. (1959) have circumstantial evidence that sparteine is converted 

 into lupanine and then into hydroxylupanine. It is Hkely that some 

 parallelism and convergence have occurred in the origin of bio- 

 synthetic mechanisms involving lupine alkaloid synthesis. To what 

 extent these complexities can be explained in a phylogenetic sense re- 

 mains to be seen. Intensive investigations of large, natural genera 

 such as Lupinus should prove important in clarifying inter-generic 

 relationships by exposing the amount and nature of variation at the 

 infra-generic level. 



Hegnauer (1958) has utihzed the presence of lupinine alkaloids 

 in the Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae as evidence of a relationship 

 between the orders Rosales and Ranales. In support of this Hegnauer 

 cited Hutchinson's placement of the presumed parental stock of the 

 Chenopodiaceae and Caryophyllaceae, adjacent to the Ranales. How- 

 ever, in Hutchinson's scheme the Leguminosae are in the Lignosae, 

 alhed with the woody Magnohales, while the species producing lupine 

 alkaloids are to be found in the herbaceous Ranunculaceae and 

 Berberidaceae, both in Hutchinson's Herbaceae. In this instance, 

 then, it does not seem valid to imply that the argument derives 

 further support from Hutchinson's system. 



Recently, the taxonomic significance of the steroid alkaloids 

 of the veratrum group has been evaluated (Kupchan et al, 1961). 

 This study is representative of other similar studies which involve a 

 group of alkaloids whose distributions within either a sub-family or 



