Abstract: Sixteen species of Ferula L. (Umbelliferae) were examined for their leaf flavonoids, and at least 9 glycosides of quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin are detected in 13 species. While most of the constituents reported are common in the Umbelliferae, the unusual one, apigenin-6, 8-C-diglucoside, which was found in Ostericum Hoffm. in an earlier survey has been detected in F. moschata (F. sumbul) The three species (F. sinkiangensis, F. fukangensis and F. krylovii) from which flavonoids have not been found, are all medicinal plants with strong garliky odor due to a high concentration of essential oils containing disulfides. The subgenus Peucedanoides is found to be rich in quercetin glycosides, and the aglycon pattern seems to have some relationship with habitat conditions in the genus: the species occurring in comparatively humid habitats are often large herbs and often characterized by the presence of quercetin, while those growing in dry habitats contain apigening kaepferol, as well as quercetin. Nevertheless, any conclusion with certainty needs examining more species of the genus. It is interesting to note that F. moschata, from which the glycosylapigenin was found, and F. pseudooreoselinum, which probably has a trace amount of kaempferol glycoside, are peculiar in Ferula in their inflorescence morphology. The phytochemic results also raise a suspicion against their systematic position within the genus. F. bungeana, previously placed in the subgenus Peucedanoides, has relatively great similarities with F. syreitschkowii of the subgenus Narthex in their general morphology and fruit anatomy. In the present survey apigenin-7-glycoside is detected from both, and thus it seems more suitable to transfer the former species into the subgenus Narthex. The same compounds have been found in F. licentiana and F. tunshanica, which also share the characters of morphology and anatomy. The fact does support the view that the lattershould be included in F. licentiana as a variety.

Key words: Ferula, Umbelliferae, flavonols, flavones, chemotaxonomy