Ecophysiology of Carpobrotus rossii in Tasmania: Linking plant’s antioxidant activity with a natural habitat

Abstract

The Australian native plant Carpobrotus rossii or “pigface” (Fig. 1) is a succulent glaborous halophytic perennial commonly found in the coastal foredunes of southern Australia (Venning 1984). Recent investigations conducted in the School of Pharmacy, University of Tasmania (Australia) have shown that extracts from this plant have high antioxidant activity and contain novel flavonoid compounds with cardio-protective activities (Geraghty et el. 2010). These flavonoids have the potential to be developed into a pharmaceutical or nutraceutical product, but at present the conditions required to maximise flavonoid production in this species are unknown. This study aimed to assess variation in metabolite (tannin and flavonoid) production and identify the factors driving this variation.