Alkane Distribution And Chemotaxonomy Of Tree Ferns (Cyatheaceae)

A gas chromatographic study was made of the total n-alkane content of several species of Central American tree ferns (Cyatheaceae). Some species of commonly occuring North American ferns were also studied for comparison. The species studied exhibited the expected n-alkane distribution pattern. Attempted taxonomic correlations had very limited success. The possible existence of a comprehensive taxonomic classification utilizing n-alkanes should be studied more fully when larger samples are available.