Chemotaxonomic significance of leaf alkanes in species of Ficus (Moraceae)

The alkane pattern of leaf waxes from 24 tropical Ficus species in Nigeria was determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Of the 12 alkanes identified, hentriacontane and tritriacontane were the major components in all the species studied. The chemosystematic significance of leaf alkanes is discussed in Ficus for the first time. There is an indication that alkane occurrence in Ficus could provide useful information to the understanding of species variability.