Phytochemistry and Systematics of the Asteraceae

Dear Colleagues,

Asteraceae (Compositae), sunflower or daisy plant family, which is researched mainly by specialist Synanterologists, represents the mega-diverse family with more than 10 % (35 000) of all today's living flowering plants. The distribution of Asteraceae includes all continents. Members of Asteraceae occur on almost every type of habitat on planet Earth with greatest richness of species in steppes, prairies, deserts, mountains, and in Mediterranean-like climates regions. Recently discovered fossils and the newly molecular clock dating, refers possible origin of Asteraceae in the Late Cretaceous: ∼83 MYA. Today family consists of 13 subfamilies and 47 tribes.

Asteraceae, as one of the largest, natural families (with specific, specialized morphological structures, including the capitula, deeply inferior ovaries and unique fruit— cypsela—and with a wide diversity of specialized metabolites), has been researched for centuries.

Due to the family’s great diversity, Asteraceae species can be used as an excellent source of different phytochemicals—specialized metabolites. Many investigations currently ongoing are focusing on the exploration of Asteraceae phytochemistry for potentially developing a chromatographic isolation of novel phytochemicals—specialized metabolites—used in systematics (chemophenetics) and which can improve functional food properties or can be used as a source in drug development for pharmaceutical industry. Many sesquiterpene lactones and flavonoids, and even essential oils or volatile organic compounds, have shed light on various taxonomic problems within the Asteraceae family. Additionally, the discovery of sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin from Artemisia annua L. must be emphasized, which fundamentally changed the treatment of parasitic diseases around the globe and was awarded a Nobel Prize.

The systematics of Asteraceae as an extraordinary family of flowering plants and their phytochemistry almost always represent a challenge even in the new molecular era. In that sense, in this Special Issue, authors are invited to contribute research investigating the novel detailed cross-section of the current status of the systematics and phytochemistry of Asteraceae grown worldwide.

Dr. Pedja Janaćković
Dr. Ljubodrag Vujisić
Guest Editors

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• compositae
• conservation
• chemophenetics
• phylogeography
• phylogeny
• speciation
• taxonomy