Table 1
List of the 22 wild and 4 cultivated species collected and analysed in the study, with references on their botanical family, vegetation community, food and/or medicinal uses, month, site (WGS84/32N system) and soil (USDA soil taxonomy; the bedrock type is provided in brackets: C, calcareous; S, siliceous)* of sampling in 2017.
| Food | Medicinal | Month | Longitude | Latitude | |||||
| Allium ursinum L. | Amaryllidaceae | Woodlands | Lim (2014a) | Sobolewska et al. (2015) | April | 7.878 | 45.490 | Eutrudept (S) | |
| Bellis perennis L. | Asteraceae | Nutrient rich grasslands | Lim (2014a) | Lim (2014a) | March | 7.592 | 45.065 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Centaurea cyanus L.** | Asteraceae | Ruderal communities | Lim (2014a) | Lim (2014a) | May | 7.896 | 45.475 | Eutrudept (S) | |
| Cichorium intybus L. | Asteraceae | Ruderal communities | Lim (2014a) | Street et al. (2013) | June | 7.843 | 45.192 | Dystrudept (S) | |
| Dianthus carthusianorum L. | Caryophyllaceae | Dry grasslands | - | Palma (1964) | June | 7.219 | 45.301 | Udifluvent (S) | |
| Dianthus pavonius Tausch | Caryophyllaceae | Nutrient poor grasslands | - | - | July | 7.122 | 44.391 | Eutrocryept (C) | |
| Erythronium dens-canis L. | Liliaceae | Woodlands | - | - | March | 7.371 | 45.157 | Dystrudept (C) | |
| Geranium sylvaticum L. | Geraniaceae | Edges | - | - | June | 7.186 | 45.300 | Dystrudept (S) | |
| Lavandula angustifolia Mill.** | Lamiaceae | Dry grasslands | Lim (2014b) | Lim (2014b) | June† | -† | -† | -† | |
| Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. | Asteraceae | Nutrient rich grasslands | Lim (2014a) | Prinsloo et al. (2018) | April | 7.592 | 45.065 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Mentha aquatica L. | Lamiaceae | Wetlands | Lim (2014b) | Alvarado (2018) | September | 7.485 | 45.120 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Paeonia officinalis L.** | Paeoniaceae | Edges | Lim (2014b) | - | April | 7.344 | 45.097 | Udorthent (S) | |
| Primula veris L. | Primulaceae | Woodlands | Lim (2014b) | Apel et al. (2017) | May | 6.802 | 44.968 | Eutrudept (C) | |
| Primula vulgaris Huds. | Primulaceae | Woodlands | Lim (2014b) | Tuttolomondo et al. (2014) | March | 7.379 | 45.145 | Dystrudept (C) | |
| Robinia pseudoacacia L. | Fabaceae | Woodlands | Lim (2014a) | Jarić et al. (2015) | May | 7.593 | 45.065 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Rosa canina L. ** | Rosaceae | Shrublands | Lim (2014b) | Nemati et al. (2015) | May | 7.677 | 45.715 | Udorthent (S) | |
| Rosa pendulina L. | Rosaceae | Woodlands | - | - | June | 7.192 | 45.301 | Dystrudept (S) | |
| Salvia pratensis L. | Lamiaceae | Dry grasslands | Kucekova et al. (2013) | Kucekova et al. (2013) | May | 7.603 | 45.036 | Udifluvent (S) | |
| Sambucus nigra L. | Adoxaceae | Shrublands | Lim (2014a) | Młynarczyk et al. (2018) | May | 7.593 | 45.064 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Taraxacum officinale Weber** | Asteraceae | Nutrient rich grasslands | Lim (2014a) | Lim (2014a) | March | 7.593 | 45.064 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Trifolium alpinum L. | Fabaceae | Nutrient poor grasslands | Abbet et al. (2014) | Agelet and Vallès (2001) | July | 7.122 | 44.390 | Eutrocryept (C) | |
| Viola odorata L. | Violaceae | Ruderal communities | Lim (2014b) | Lim (2014b) | March | 7.591 | 45.065 | Hapludalf (S) | |
| Borago officinalis L. | Boraginaceae | Cultivated | Lim (2014a) | Gupta and Singh (2010) | May | -§ | -§ | -§ | |
| Calendula officinalis L. | Asteraceae | Cultivated | Lim (2014a) | Lim (2014a) | May | -§ | § | -§ | |
| Tagetes patula L. | Asteraceae | Cultivated | Lim (2014a) | Lim (2014a) | July | -§ | § | -§ | |
| Tropaeolum majus L. | Tropaeolaceae | Cultivated | Lim (2014b) | Lim (2014b) | May | -§ | § | -§ |
* I.P.L.A., Regione Piemonte (2007); Regione Autonoma Valle d’Aosta (2018).
Table 2
Mobile phases, elution conditions and wavelength used to detect the five classes of compounds with HPLC analysis.
| Class of compounds | Mobile phase | Elution conditions | Wavelength (nm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamic acids and flavonols | A: 10 mM KH2PO4/H3PO4, pH = 2.8 B: CH3CN | 5%B to 21%B in 17 min + 21%B in 3 min (2 min conditioning time); flow: 1.5 mL min−1 | 330 |
| Benzoic acids and flavanols | A: H2O/CH3OH/HCOOH (5:95:0.1 v/v/v), pH = 2.5 B: CH3OH/HCOOH (100:0.1 v/v) | 3%B to 85%B in 22 min + 85%B in 1 min (2 min conditioning time); flow: 0.6 mL min−1 | 280 |
| Vitamin C | A: 5 mM C16H33N(CH3)3Br/50 mM KH2PO4, pH = 2.5 B: CH3OH | Isocratic, ratio of phase A and B: 95:5 in 10 min (5 min conditioning time); flow: 0.9 mL min−1 | 261, 348 |
[i] HPLC, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.
Table 3
Dry matter, TPC and antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH and ABTS assays) in the 26 edible flowers.
| Species | Dry matter (%) | TPC (mg GAE · 100 g−1) | Antioxidant activity | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRAP (mmol Fe2+ · kg−1) | DPPH (mmol TE · g−1) | ABTS (mmol TE · g−1) | |||
| Allium ursinum | 10.2 jk | 184.4 k | 4.2 j | 7.6 kl | 0.7 m |
| Bellis perennis | 16.9 ef | 396.3 gi | 81.6 cf | 24.3 i | 13.4 hj |
| Centaurea cyanus | 26.4 b | 378.5 hi | 68.3 df | 23.6 i | 17.8 fh |
| Cichorium intybus | 17.3 ef | 618.4 df | 138.4 ad | 69.2 f | 26.9 d |
| Dianthus carthusianorum | 27.8 ab | 936.3 bd | 222.2 ab | 81.1 ef | 33.6 c |
| Dianthus pavonius | 21.2 cd | 752.8 ce | 176.1 ac | 106.5 c | 24.3 de |
| Erythronium dens-canis | 15.1 fh | 364.3 hi | 53.5 eg | 20.4 ik | 14.4 hj |
| Geranium sylvaticum | 12.8 i | 1,267.8 ab | 267.0 ab | 152.9 b | 55.2 a |
| Lavandula angustifolia | 31.2 a | 396.0 gi | 89.5 ce | 14.8 il | 14.0 hj |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | 17.0 ef | 448.8 fi | 44.3 eh | 20.9 ik | 10.8 ij |
| Mentha aquatica | 22.3 c | 1,061.7 bc | 256.0 ab | 86.7 de | 42.5 b |
| Paeonia officinalis | 13.9 gi | 1,930.5 a | 303.8 a | 226.2 a | 55.3 a |
| Primula veris | 18.8 de | 1,044.9 bc | 230.1 ab | 97.1 cd | 38.5 bc |
| Primula vulgaris | 9.8 jk | 602.9 dg | 127.4 bd | 41.7 gh | 21.5 df |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | 12.9 i | 203.8 jk | 15.7 i | 4.5 l | 2.4 m |
| Rosa canina | 16.7 ef | 1,396.6 ab | 257.5 ab | 146.2 b | 55.6 a |
| Rosa pendulina | 21.6 cd | 1,773.7 a | 253.8 ab | 154.3 b | 55.7 a |
| Salvia pratensis | 17.7 ef | 314.7 ij | 38.9 fh | 8.9 jl | 9.0 jl |
| Sambucus nigra | 16.8 ef | 508.7 eh | 78.8 cf | 28.5 hi | 18.3 fh |
| Taraxacum officinale | 16.5 ef | 159.4 k | 13.0 i | 7.7 kl | 3.3 lm |
| Trifolium alpinum | 10.0 jk | 464.6 fi | 91.5 ce | 50.3 gh | 20.3 eg |
| Viola odorata | 13.0 hi | 428.4 fi | 66.1 dg | 22.6 ij | 15.6 gi |
| Borago officinalis§ | 15.3 fg | 163.4 k | 29.7 gi | 22.8 i | 3.7 km |
| Calendula officinalis§ | 13.7 gi | 189.6 k | 22.6 hi | 3.6 l | 9.2 jk |
| Tagetes patula§ | 10.7 j | 470.8 fi | 143.9 ad | 44.1 gh | 23.0 df |
| Tropaeolum majus§ | 8.9 k | 355.8 hi | 45.3 eh | 14.8 il | 12.8 hj |
| p | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
{ label (or @symbol) needed for fn[@id='j_fhort-2021-0004_table-fn_005'] } Data are expressed on a fresh-weight basis, except for dry matter. The level of statistical significance is given (***p < 0.001), different letters inside a column indicate significant differences between species according to Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05).
ABTS, 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid; DPPH, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl; FRAP, ferric reducing antioxidant power; GAE, gallic acid equivalents; TPC, total polyphenol content; TE, trolox equivalents.

Figure 1
RACI calculated for the 26 studied flower species. Different lower case letters indicate significant differences between species according to Kruskal–Wallis’ stepwise comparison (p < 0.05). RACI, relative antioxidant capacity index. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.

Figure 2
Total polyphenols and polyphenol classes (flavonols, flavanols, benzoic acids and cinnamic acids) content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species. Different lower case letters in a row indicate significant differences between species according to Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05). -, compound not detected. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.
Table 4
Flavonols and flavanols content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species.
| Species | Flavonols | Flavanols | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperoside | Isoquercitrin | Quercetin | Quercitrin | Rutin | Catechin | Epicatechin | |
| Allium ursinum | 38.7 b | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.9 c | 19.7 b | 0.0 - | 20.8 g |
| Bellis perennis | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.4 d | 421.0 a |
| Centaurea cyanus | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.9 c | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 65.2 c |
| Cichorium intybus | 23.5 bc | 16.1 c | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 13.7 b | 19.1 bc | 533.3 a |
| Dianthus carthusianorum | 262.4 a | 163.6 b | 0.0 - | 8.0 c | 17.8 b | 0.0 - | 0.1 h |
| Dianthus pavonius | 0.0 - | 2,072.0 a | 0.0 - | 163.6 c | 34.1 b | 11.7 c | 26.3 dg |
| Erythronium dens-canis | 9.0 cd | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 108.5 c | 0.5 c | 0.4 d | 29.9 cg |
| Geranium sylvaticum | 0.6 e | 12.5 c | 189.0 a | 34.5 c | 17.1 b | 20.7 bc | 37.7 cg |
| Lavandula angustifolia | 17.3 bd | 0.0 - | 207.3 a | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 375.6 a | 306.6 ab |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 328.1 a | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.1 h |
| Mentha aquatica | 0.0 - | 12.0 c | 227.2 a | 0.0 - | 16.8 b | 24.0 bc | 59.2 cd |
| Paeonia officinalis | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 216.3 a | 16.4 c | 0.0 - | 28.6 b | 30.7 cg |
| Primula veris | 14.7 bd | 10.8 c | 0.0 - | 82.3 c | 18.1 b | 0.4 d | 52.0 ce |
| Primula vulgaris | 9.4 cd | 100.1 b | 0.0 - | 109.6 c | 107.7 a | 0.0 - | 23.9 eg |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 547.3 b | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 22.0 fg |
| Rosa canina | 38.5 b | 130.2 b | 205.7 a | 35.9 c | 0.0 - | 26.0 b | 158.1 b |
| Rosa pendulina | 15.3 bd | 184.5 b | 0.0 - | 1,353.4 a | 12.9 b | 0.4 d | 388.4 b |
| Salvia pratensis | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 25.0 eg |
| Sambucus nigra | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 23.4 c | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 48.3 cf |
| Taraxacum officinale | 0.6 e | 0.0 - | 0.7 b | 0.0 - | 0.5 c | 0.0 - | 0.1 h |
| Trifolium alpinum | 7.4 d | 7.9 c | 0.0 - | 13.5 c | 0.5 c | 0.0 - | 0.1 h |
| Viola odorata | 16.3 bd | 15.7 c | 0.0 - | 10.8 c | 14.4 b | 0.0 - | 21.9 fg |
| Borago officinalis§ | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Calendula officinalis§ | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 1.7 c | 0.0 - | 0.4 d | 0.1 h |
| Tagetes patula§ | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.5 c | 0.0 - | 29.3 cg |
| Tropaeolum majus§ | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 619.6 b | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 49.1 cf |
Table 5
Benzoic acids and cinnamic acids content (mg · 100 g−1) in 26 flower species.
| Species | Benzoic acids | Cinnamic acids | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellagic acid | Gallic acid | Caffeic acid | Chlorogenic acid | Coumaric acid | Ferulic acid | |
| Allium ursinum | 15.2 h | 0.1 c | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.5 c | 357.3 a |
| Bellis perennis | 212.9 ad | 0.0 - | 15.6 ab | 0.0 - | 158.5 a | 0.0 - |
| Centaurea cyanus | 180.1 ad | 0.0 - | 0.1 d | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Cichorium intybus | 23.7 fh | 27.5 b | 0.0 - | 230.0 b | 148.5 a | 0.0 - |
| Dianthus carthusianorum | 278.5 ac | 27.6 b | 14.6 ab | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Dianthus pavonius | 214.4 ad | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Erythronium dens-canis | 20.4 gh | 0.0 - | 16.2 a | 275.5 a | 110.7 a | 20.9 bc |
| Geranium sylvaticum | 121.4 be | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 244.1 b | 16.4 b | 0.0 - |
| Lavandula angustifolia | 122.8 be | 0.0 - | 11.7 c | 0.2 c | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | 63.2 dg | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Mentha aquatica | 153.8 bd | 0.0 - | 15.9 ab | 270.6 a | 113.8 a | 0.0 - |
| Paeonia officinalis | 589.2 a | 244.2 a | 13.9 b | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 32.6 bc |
| Primula veris | 27.9 fh | 0.1 c | 15.2 ab | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 43.9 b |
| Primula vulgaris | 16.3 h | 0.0 - | 16.3 a | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 29.3 bc |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | 79.5 cf | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Rosa canina | 72.5 dg | 0.1 c | 0.0 - | 232.0 b | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Rosa pendulina | 410.7 ab | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Salvia pratensis | 20.4 gh | 0.1 c | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Sambucus nigra | 27.1 fh | 0.1 c | 15.3 ab | 0.0 - | 112.0 a | 0.0 - |
| Taraxacum officinale | 28.2 fh | 0.0 - | 15.7 ab | 273.3 a | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Trifolium alpinum | 34.6 eh | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.5 c | 0.2 c |
| Viola odorata | 26.2 fh | 0.0 - | 1.9 d | 0.0 - | 113.4 a | 0.2 c |
| Borago officinalis§ | 0.1 i | 27.9 b | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Calendula officinalis§ | 15.2 h | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Tagetes patula§ | 150.1 bd | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - | 0.0 - |
| Tropaeolum majus§ | 214.3 ad | 0.0 - | 14.1 b | 241.2 b | 109.6 a | 0.0 - |
Table 6
Vitamin C content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species.
| Species | Vitamin C |
|---|---|
| Allium ursinum | 0.0 - |
| Bellis perennis | 4.4 fi |
| Centaurea cyanus | 3.3 gi |
| Cichorium intybus | 4.0 gi |
| Dianthus carthusianorum | 5.5 di |
| Dianthus pavonius | 16.4 bc |
| Erythronium dens-canis | 6.7 ch |
| Geranium sylvaticum | 7.9 bg |
| Lavandula angustifolia | 2.8 hi |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | 5.9 di |
| Mentha aquatica | 2.6 i |
| Paeonia officinalis | 11.3 be |
| Primula veris | 44.9 a |
| Primula vulgaris | 3.8 gi |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | 4.0 gi |
| Rosa canina | 12.3 bd |
| Rosa pendulina | 7.2 bg |
| Salvia pratensis | 4.0 gi |
| Sambucus nigra | 11.0 bf |
| Taraxacum officinale | 3.5 gi |
| Trifolium alpinum | 15.5 bc |
| Viola odorata | 4.6 ei |
| Borago officinalis§ | 0.0 - |
| Calendula officinalis§ | 11.8 bd |
| Tagetes patula§ | 7.2 bg |
| Tropaeolum majus§ | 17.7 b |
Table 7
Spearman’s correlation indexes between TPC, antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH and ABTS assays) and phenolic compounds recorded in the 26 edible flowers.
| FRAP | DPPH | ABTS | Caffeic acid | Chlorogenic acid | Coumaric acid | Ferulic acid | Hyperoside | Isoquercitrin | Quercetin | Quercitrin | Rutin | Ellagic Acid | Gallic Acid | Catechin | Epicatechin | Vitamin C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPC | 0.94** | 0.93** | 0.95** | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.09 | 0.26* | 0.68** | 0.43** | 0.36** | 0.43** | 0.47** | 0.18 | 0.50** | 0.43** | 0.44** |
| FRAP | 1 | 0.93** | 0.96** | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.23* | 0.65** | 0.40** | 0.26* | 0.40** | 0.49** | 0.21 | 0.56** | 0.49** | 0.37** |
| DPPH | 1 | 0.93** | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.09 | 0.22 | 0.68** | 0.33** | 0.30** | 0.42** | 0.40** | 0.31** | 0.49** | 0.37** | 0.41** | |
| ABTS | 1 | 0.07 | 0.15 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.25* | 0.67** | 0.36** | 0.29** | 0.38** | 0.47** | 0.19 | 0.52** | 0.47** | 0.44** | ||
| Caffeic acid | 1 | 0.30** | 0.44** | 0.35** | 0.04 | −0.01 | −0.03 | 0.08 | 0.12 | 0.02 | −0.03 | −0.07 | 0.11 | −0.05 | |||
| Chlorogenic acid | 1 | 0.49** | −0.07 | −0.03 | 0.04 | 0.22* | 0.06 | 0.01 | −0.04 | −0.06 | 0.35** | 0.21 | −0.01 | ||||
| Coumaric acid | 1 | −0.12 | −0.08 | −0.07 | −0.04 | 0.02 | 0.05 | −0.05 | −0.06 | 0.09 | 0.40** | −0.02 | |||||
| Ferulic acid | 1 | 0.30** | −0.03 | −0.03 | 0.17 | 0.32** | −0.22* | 0.08 | −0.08 | −0.05 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Hyperoside | 1 | 0.48** | −0.06 | 0.03 | 0.44** | −0.17 | 0.14 | 0.11 | 0.13 | −0.05 | |||||||
| Isoquercitrin | 1 | 0.03 | 0.38** | 0.69** | 0.17 | 0.01 | 0.27* | 0.14 | 0.30** | ||||||||
| Quercetin | 1 | −0.09 | −0.08 | 0.29* | 0.06 | 0.70** | 0.20 | 0.02 | |||||||||
| Quercitrin | 1 | 0.23 | 0.20 | −0.23* | 0.01 | 0.26* | 0.50** | ||||||||||
| Rutin | 1 | −0.04 | 0.04 | 0.14 | 0.07 | −0.05 | |||||||||||
| Ellagic acid | 1 | 0.06 | 0.27* | 0.34** | 0.28* | ||||||||||||
| Gallic acid | 1 | 0.23* | −0.09 | −0.12 | |||||||||||||
| Catechin | 1 | 0.49** | 0.05 | ||||||||||||||
| Epicatechin | 1 | 0.04 |

Figure 3
Hierarchical cluster analysis of the selected species according to their TPC and antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH and ABTS). The respective botanical family and vegetation community is provided for every species. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants. ABTS, 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid; DPPH, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl; FRAP, ferric reducing antioxidant power; TPC, total polyphenol content.

Figure 4
Hierarchical cluster analysis of the selected species according to their polyphenolic profile and vitamin C content. The respective botanical family and vegetation community is provided for every species. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.

Figure A1
Flavonols (hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercetin, quercitrin and rutin) content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species. Different lower case letters in a row indicate significant differences between species according to Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Data are means of three biological replicates. -, compound not detected. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.

Figure A2
Flavanols (catechin and epicatechin) content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species. Different lower case letters in a row indicate significant differences between species according to Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Data are means of three biological replicates. -, compound not detected. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.

Figure A3
Benzoic acids (ellagic and gallic acid) content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species. Different lower case letters in a row indicate significant differences between species according to Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Data are means of three biological replicates. -, compound not detected. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.

Figure A4
Cinnamic acids (caffeic, chlorogenic, coumaric and ferulic acid) content (mg · 100 g−1) in the flowers of the 26 studied species. Different lower case letters in a row indicate significant differences between species according to Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Data are means of three biological replicates. -, compound not detected. §Flowers sampled from cultivated plants.