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Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Structural characteristics of lignin in primitive pteridophytes: Selaginella species

Journal of Wood Science volume 53, pages 412–418 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The lignin chemical structures of eight species of the Selaginella family, which are primitive vascular plants, were characterized by alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation, acidolysis, and ozonation. Selaginella involvens, Selaginella tamariscina, and Selaginella remotifolia were collected from the University Forest in Chiba, the University of Tokyo, Japan, and Selaginella biformis, Selaginella pennata, S. involvens, Selaginella chrysorrhizos, and unidentified Selaginella species (Selaginella sp.) were collected from northern Thailand. Lignin of all Selaginella species examined in this study was rich in syringyl nuclei. It was confirmed that a considerable portion of syringyl nuclei of Selaginella lignin formed syringylglycerol-β-aryl ether intermonomer linkages. The major diastereomer of arylglycerol-β-aryl ether intermonomer linkages of Selaginella lignins was the erythro-form exhibiting angiosperm lignin characteristics. In addition, lignins of S. involvens, S. tamariscina, and S. remotifolia collected from the University Forest in Chiba, the University of Tokyo, Japan, were isolated according to Björkman’s procedure, and structural features of the lignins were spectrometrically analyzed. It was confirmed that lignin of Selaginella species, which are primitive pteridophytes, was typical guaiacyl-syringyl type as well as being similar to angiosperm lignin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Zhejiang Forestry University, Zhejiang, 311300, China

    Zhenfu Jin

  2. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Zhenfu Jin, Yuji Matsumoto & Takeshi Tange

  3. Asian Natural Environmental Science Center, the University of Tokyo, 6-17-4 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Kenji Iiyama

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  1. Zhenfu Jin
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  2. Yuji Matsumoto
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  3. Takeshi Tange
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  4. Kenji Iiyama
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Correspondence to Kenji Iiyama.

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Jin, Z., Matsumoto, Y., Tange, T. et al. Structural characteristics of lignin in primitive pteridophytes: Selaginella species. J Wood Sci 53, 412–418 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-006-0872-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-006-0872-6

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