Advances in Studies of Species Habitats Distribution and Chemical Composition of Snow Lotuses(Saussurea) in China

Abstract

This paper has sorted out the species, habitats distribution and chemical composition of snow lotuses and reviewed the research recently developed in chemical composition of Saussurea involucrata Kar. et Kir., S.medusa Maxim, S.gossypiphora D. Don and other 3 species of snow lotuses. It was found that the chemical composition of the different snow lotuses growing in specific ecological environment were similar within the genus but with characteristic differences in the different species. This result furnished evidence to plant chemotaxonomy and provied a reference material for selecting the best quality plant material for cell culture.