Comparative chromatographic study of Eurasian Hippophaë populations

One-dimensional thin-layer chromatography was used to separate compounds from tops of young Hippophaë seedlings. The material consisted of 37 progenies, one of these representing H. salicifolia and 36 representing 32 populations of H. rhamnoides. At least 10 seedlings were analysed in each progeny. Similarity coefficients were used to compare pairs of progenies. The chromatographic pattern of H. salicifolia was quite distinct from that of H. rhamnoides. Of the seven subspecies of the latter included in this study, ssp. rhamnoides was the most distinct. On the basis of chromatographic similarity, the 16 populations of this subspecies could be divided into 4 groups with a characteristic geographic pattern. Ssp. rhamnoides and ssp. fluviatilis were chemically relatively uniform, whereas the Asiatic subspecies showed practically no correspondence between the chemical variation and the subspecific boundaries. A rough comparison of the intra-population variation was also attempted.