Chemical studies of green leaves of A. tetraphyllum afforded beta-sitosterol, a mixture containing the ethyl esters of long chain carboxylic acids, 30-normethyl-lupan-20-one, hopan-22-ol, phytol, phyten-3(20)-1,2-diol, quercetin and quercetin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and GC analysis. The allelopathic potentials of the crude ethanolic extract and fractions were evaluated against Lactuca sativa (letuce) and Allium cepa (onion) seeds.
Adiantum tetraphyllum; fern; allelochemicals
