Terpenes as Taxonomic Characters in Salvia Section Audibertia

Abstract

A survey of terpene differences in the 19 species ofSalvia indigenous to California and Baja California suggests that identification of species is possible solely on the characteristic composition of terpenes. Further, differences between two introgressing species (5.apiana and 5.mellifera) are such that terpenes may be treated as characters from which hybrid indices and histograms may be formulated. Statistical comparison of these data with those from morphology shows a highly significant correlation.