ANTHOCYANIN, AGLYCONE AND AGLYCONE-SUGAR CONTENT OF FRUITS OF TEMPERATE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF Gaylussacia (ERICACEAE)
HPLC analysis of the true huckleberry species Gaylussacia baccata, G. dumosa, G. frondosa, G. mosieri, and G. ursina identified the 3-monoarabinosides, 3-monogalactosides, and 3-monoglucosides of cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, peonidin, and petunidin. Gaylussacia brachycera contained all anthocyanins, except peonidin-3-arabinoside. Gaylussacia brachycera differed from other species in percent delphinidin-3-arabinoside. It was higher than the other species in percent of the aglycone delphinidin and lower in cyanidin, and also higher in percent of the sugar arabinose. There were no detectable differences among the other species for anthocyanins, aglycones, or aglycone-sugars. The phylogenetic implications of the similarities among species of Gaylussacia and Vaccinium in anthocyanins, aglycones, and aglycone-sugars of the fruit were discussed.Key words: High-performance liquid chromatography, huckleberries, blueberries, chemotaxonomy, taxonomy, biosystematics