Chemical constituents from the fruits of Illicium henryi Diels and their chemotaxonomic significance

A phytochemical investigation of Illicium henryi fruits resulted in the identification of 31 compounds, including fourteen sesquiterpenoids ( 1 – 14 ), two flavonoids ( 15 – 16 ), seven lignans ( 17 – 23 ), one shikimic acid derivative ( 24 ), one phenylpropanoid derivative ( 25 ), two phenolic compounds ( 26 and 27 ), three monoterpenoids ( 28 – 30 ), and one C13 norsesquiterpenoid ( 31 ). The structures of these compounds were elucidated through 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopic analyses and comparison with previously documented data. Twenty compounds ( 2 – 4 , 8 , 9 , 14 , 15 , 17 – 19 , 21 , and 23 – 31 ) were isolated from I. henryi for the first time, and among them, eleven compounds ( 15 , 17 – 19 , 23 , 25 – 28 , 30 , and 31 ) had never been previously isolated from any Illicium species. Additionally, this article discusses the chemotaxonomic significance of these compounds. • Thirty-one compounds were isolated from the fruits of Illicium henryi. • Twenty compounds were isolated from I. henryi for the first time. • Eleven compounds were reported for the first time in the Illicium genus. • The chemotaxonomic significance of the isolates is discussed.