Taxonomic Evaluations of the Achene Fatty Acid Composition of Three Morphologically Similar Tripleurospermum (Asteraceae) Species

Tripleurospermum tempskyanum, T. disciforme and T. decipiens (Asteraceae) are species with similar morphological characteristics that can therefore be easily confused with one another. In this study, achene fatty acid content of T. tempskyanum and T. disciforme from Turkiye was analysed using gas chromatography (GC) for the first time. The fatty acid data for these species together with the fatty acid data in the literature of T. decipiens were evaluated in terms of taxonomy using cluster analysis and principal components analysis. Eleven fatty acids were determined in the achenes of T. tempskyanum and T. disciforme. Additionally, linoleic acid (C18:2n6c), palmitic acid (C16) and alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n3c) were detected as major fatty acids. The results of cluster analysis and principal components analysis indicated that achene fatty acids may be used as a chemotaxonomic marker to support the morphological separation of these species.