Matricaria L. (Anthemideae, Asteraceae) in Iran: a chemotaxonomic study based on flavonoids

Matricaria L. belongs to the tribe Anthemideae and the subtribe Matricineae (Asteraceae) and comprises 7 species of which 2 species grow wild in Iran. This study was aimed to characterize the Iranian materials of Matricaria using profiles of flavonoid spots and determination of skeletons of major flavonoids in each species. Twelve bulked population samples from Matricaria aurea and M. recutita were examined. Presence -absence data from two dimensional maps (2DM) of their flavonoid spots were processed using Cluster and PCA analyses. Differences at species level in flavonoid skeleton properties were investigated and a taxonomic review of close taxa was provided.