Quinolizidine alkaloid profiles of Retama raetam, R-sphaerocarpa and R-monosperma

About 28 quinolizidine alkaloids and the dipiperidine alkaloids ammodendrine, dehydroammodendrine and N-formylammodendrine were identified in the alkaloidal extracts of Retama raetam, Retama sphaerocarpa and Retama monosperma by capillary GLC and GLC-MS. Alkaloid profiles of the three Retama species with a Mediterranean distribution are more similar than alkaloid patterns of different organs of the same plant. Whereas sparteine and retamine are the major components of stems, lupanine, retamine, N-methylcytisine and cytisine dominate in flowers and pods, and cytisine in seeds indicating a high degree of organ specificity of alkaloid storage.