Anthocyanins were isolated using Amberlite XAD-7 column chromatography and Sephadex LH- 20 gel filtration from acidified methanolic extracts of flowers of the three bird-pollinated hemiparasitic plants; Tapinanthus buvumae (Rendle) Danser, Tapinanthus constrictiflorus (Engl.) Danser and Phragmanthera usuiensis (Oliv.) M. Gilbert in the mistletoe family Loranthaceae. Their structures were shown to be cyanidin 3-O-b-glucopyranoside, elucidated by on-line diode-array detection chromatography and homo- and heteronuclear NMR techniques. In accordance with previous reports on Cynomorium coccineum (Cynomoriaceae) and Cassytha spp. (Lauraceae) simple non-acylated cyanidin 3-glycosides seem to be the principal anthocyanins in parasitic plants.
