Flavonoid Races of Claytonia Virginica (Portulacaceae)

Four flavonoid races have been found in the Claytonia virginica aneuploid complex, differing from one another in the accumulation of 12 kaempferol and quercetin 3‐glycosides. Each of these races has a distinctive geographical distribution within the overall range of the species. The three major diploid cytotypes of C. virginica each belong to different races, two of which also include polyploids; a fourth race consists entirely of polyploids. An examination of biosynthetic pathways indicates that a small number of genetic changes are responsible for the observed variation; polyploidy per se does not appear to have contributed significantly to the production of novel compounds. Flavonoid data also suggest strongly that polyploidy within rather than between modern chemical races has been responsible for the bulk of chromosome number variation in the species.