The Occurrence of Rhodoxanthin in Red-leaved Seedlings ofAgathis australisSalisb.

Abstract

A red carotenoid pigment was isolated by paper chromatography from extracts of leaves of red pigmented Agathis australis seedlings. The position and shape of the absorption spectra of this pigment in three solvents was identical with those for rhodoxanthin isolated from the arils of Taxus baccata fruit. The behaviour of the red pigment on partitioning between petroleum ether and 90 per cent, methanol, its position on sucrose, celite, and magnesium oxide columns and its solubility in various solvents was consistent with this conclusion. The red leaf pigment and rhodoxanthin could not be separated when co-chromatographed in two solvent systems. The concentration of this pigment in red seedlings was c. 25 times greater than that in green seedlings while the chlorophyll content in the former was half that of the latter. The implications of these findings are discussed.