Two Australian members of
the genus Erigeron L. (Compositae, tribe Astereae) have been investigated with particular regard to
their content of acetylenic compounds. E. conyzoides
F. Muell. contained the methyl esters (I) and (II) of
acetylenic carboxylic acids and their corresponding lactones (III) and (IV) and
in this resemble the numerous Erigeron spp. of the
northern hemisphere investigated earlier. Of the collective species E. pappochroma Labill. three
Tasmanian and two Snowy Mountain collections were investigated. None of them
contained the acetylenic compounds characteristic of typical Erigeron. Three of
these collections contained some simple acetylenic alcohols, (V)-(IX); some of
these are characteristic compounds of other genera of the tribus Astereae. In two collections acetylenic compounds were
seemingly absent; but dill apiol (XI) was found in
appreciable amounts.