Abstract:In order to understand the mineral element composition and active component, the contents of seven mineral elements (K, Mg, Ca, Na, Fe, Zn, Se), total phenol, total flavone, total ascorbic acid and soluble sugar, tea polyphenol, caffeine and amino acid in the leaves of six Camellia species, such as C. achrysantha, C. long- zhouensis, C. ptilosperma, C. limonia, C. chuongtsoensis and C. nitidissima, were determined. Based on the contents of active component, principal component analysis and cluster analysis were studied. The results showed that the contents of K, Mg, and Na in C. limonia were the highest, which were 18.70, 2.67, and 1.01 g/kg, respectively. The Ca content in C. achrysantha was the highest (42.99 g/kg), the Fe content in C. chuongtsoensis was the highest (334.14 mg/kg), the Zn content in C. ptilosperma was the highest with 22.46 mg/kg; the Se content in C. long-zhouensis was the highest with 0.47 mg/kg. There were significant differences in seven mineral elements in leaves among different species (P<0.05). A total of 15 amino acids were detected in 6 Camellia species, only asparagine, tryptophan, threonine, cysteine and glutamine were missing. The active ingredient contents in 6 Camellia species showed the trend of soluble sugar>total phenol>total flavone>total ascorbic acid, and those of C. ptilosperma were the highest. The content of tea polyphenol in C. achrysantha was the highest. The caffeine content in 6 Camellia species was low, but not detected in C. achrysantha and C. chuongtsoensis. The principal component analysis showed that the cumulative contribution rate of PC1, PC2 and PC3 reached 87.439%, and based on comprehensive score of component content, C. limonia was the best. The cluster analysis based on active component content showed that the difference between C. limonia and other species was large, and that between C. achrysantha and C. ptilosperma, C. chuongtsoensis and C. nitidissima was small. Therefore, these would provide theoretical basis for the development and utilization of Camellia sect. Chrysantha.
