Genes of corresponding biosynthetic pathways exist in all plants and algae and even in
many microorganisms, suggesting that these pathways are very old [5, 7, 8, 58].
What about alkaloids? Alkaloids are common among angiosperms, but much
more restricted in gymnosperms and spore bearing plants (Table 2; Fig. 4). Among
spore bearing plants (mosses, lycopods, ferns, horsetails), only lycopods commonly
Cycadales
Ferns
Ginkgoaceae
Pinales
Gnetales
Amborellales
Nympheales
Austrobaileyales
Chloranthales
Canellales
Piperales
Laurales
Magnoliales
Acorales
Alismatales
Liverworts
Mosses
Hornworts
Lycophytes
Cupressales
Petrosalviales
Dioscoreales
Pandanales
Asparagales
Arecales
Liliales
Poales
Commelinales
Zingiberales
MONOCOTS
Ceratophyllales
Ranunculales
Proteales
Trochodendrales
Buxales
Gunnerales
Dilleniales
Saxifragales
Vitales
Zygophyllales
Celastrales
Oxalidales
Malpighiales
Fabales
Rosales
Cucurbitales
Fagales
Geraniales
Myrtales
Crossosomatales
Picramniales
Sapindales
Huerteales
Malvales
Brassicales
Berberidopsidales
Santalales
Caryophyllales
Cornales
Ericales
Iacacinales
Metteniusales
Garryales
Solanales
Vahliales
Gentianales
Lamiales
Boraginales
Aquifoliales
Asterales
Escalloniales
Bruniales
Apiales
Paracryphiales
Dipsacales
MAGNOLIDS
ROSIDS
ASTERIDS
GYMNOSPERMS
TRACHEOPHYTES
SPERMATOPHYTES
ANGIOSPERMS
Fig. 3 Phylogeny reconstruction of plants according to APGIII and One Thousand Plant
Transcriptomes Initiative [57]
160
M. Wink