Phytochemical profile of Carlina acaulis subsp. caulescens f. typica Cianfaglione

The phytochemical profile of an Italian accession of Carlina acaulis subsp. caulescens f. typica Cianfaglione is here reported for the first time. Nine secondary metabolites were identified from the aerial parts including one degradation product of chlorophylls, two pentacyclic triterpenoids, one flavonoid, four quinic acid derivatives and one simple organic acid. Their structures were elucidated through NMR and MS analyses. The chemophenetic evaluation revealed the occurrence of two compounds reported for the first time in the genus and three compounds newly identified for the species. However, due to their widespread distribution among plant taxa, these metabolites cannot be considered reliable chemophenetic markers. These phytochemical results have also been compared with those obtained from a recently described new form of the species, finding a few similarities. These results surely demand further in-depth studies on both forms.