Bligh, Annie Sim WanAnnie Sim WanBlighCheng, X.-M.Zhao, T.Yang, T.Wang, C.-H.Wang, Z.-T.2021-11-152021-11-152010https://repository.sfu.edu.hk/handle/sfu/1731Introduction – Seeds of wild <i>Peganum harmala</i> Linn., <i>P. multisectum</i> (Maxim) Bobr., <i>P. nigellastrum</i> Bunge and a probable indeterminate species, herein referred to as <i>P.</i> variety, are commonly used in Chinese medicine. These seeds cannot be differentiated based on morphology. Objective – Seeds of <i>P. harmala</i> Linn., <i>P. multisectum</i> (Maxim) Bobr., <i>P. nigellastrum</i> Bunge and <i>P.</i> variety were collected in different provinces in China and their HPLC profiles were recorded for statistical analysis and pattern recognition. Methodology – HPLC chromatograms of seed extracts were recorded under the same conditions. Individual HPLC chromatograms for each species were evaluated against the mean chromatogram for the same species generated using a similarity evaluation computer program. Data from chromatographic fingerprints were also processed using principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Results – The <i>Peganum</i> sp. seed extracts had similar HPLC fingerprints but with some inter-specific differences. The chromatographic fingerprints combined with PCA, HCA and LDA could distinguish the seeds of the different species of <i>Peganum</i> investigated. Conclusion – HPLC fingerprints can be used to authenticate and differentiate the seeds of three different species of genus <i>Peganum</i> indigenous to China. The results indicated that the unidentified <i>P.</i> variety might indeed be a new species or variety.enjournal article10.1002/pca.1198