Research Articles

The chemical composition of sequential hexane and chloroform extracts obtained from the flowers (F), leaves (L), and thin stems (S) of Passiflora caerulea (PC) harvested during summer were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total percentages of identified compounds in the hexane extracts were 39.4%, 22.5%, and 31.8% for the flower, leaf, and stem, respectively, whereas the corresponding values for the chloroform extracts were 70.3%, 43.7%, and 62.2%. In the hexane extracts, ethyl linoleolate was the predominant constituent in the flower extract (14.9%), while linoleic acid (17.6%) was the major constituent of the stem extract. 1,2-Epoxynonadecane was detected as a notable constituent of the flower and leaf hexane extracts (4.9% and 3.8%), respectively. In the chloroform extracts, linoleic acid was the predominant constituent in the stem extract (22.0%), whereas n-hexadecanoic acid was the major constituent in the flower and stem extracts (10.5% and 12.1%), respectively. The leaf chloroform extract contained a notable proportion of 1,2-epoxynonadecane (13.4%) and vitamin E (9.9%). Furthermore, heptacosane (7.5%), γ-sitosterol (6.6%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- (6.3%), nonacosane (5.2%), were the major constituents in the flower chloroform extract. Overall, the extracts exhibited distinct chemical profiles depending on plant organ and extraction solvent, with fatty acids, fatty acid esters, terpenoids, and tocopherols constituting the major classes of identified compounds.

Natural durability is an important wood property that influences utilization potential. This study investigated the anatomical characteristics and natural durability of three Korean diffuse-porous hardwood species, namely Betula platyphylla, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus salicina, to assess whether measurable anatomical traits could serve as indicators of durability. Traits were measured using microscopic image analysis, and natural durability was evaluated using fungal decay and termite resistance tests. Associations between anatomical traits and durability were explored using multiple factor analysis (MFA). Among the species examined, L. tulipifera exhibited the lowest fungal weight loss and highest termite resistance, whereas B. platyphylla showed the greatest susceptibility to fungal decay and termite attack. The MFA suggested exploratory associations, based on species-level data from three species, between fungal decay resistance and vessel-related anatomical traits, whereas termite resistance showed limited correspondence with the anatomical variables examined. These results suggest an exploratory relationship between vessel dimensions and variation in fungal decay susceptibility among the three species; anatomical traits corresponded only weakly with overall natural durability. The findings may support future wood informatics research and facilitate the development of data-driven models that integrate anatomical, physical, and chemical datasets to predict wood properties.