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Abstract
A taxonomic revision of Hebe and Leonohebe in New Zealand has involved studies of both plant morphology and flavonoid chemistry. This paper is the first in a series that summarises the composition and taxonomic distribution of leaf flavonoids in the two genera. It describes the flavonoid glycosides encountered in a survey of c. 700 samples (from throughout the two genera), and outlines the distribution of flavonoids in species of “Buxifoliatae” and “Flagriformes” (informal infrageneric groups of Hebe) and in Leonohebe. The structures of 83 of the most commonly occurring flavonoids are identified (or tentatively identified); also recorded are 32 unidentified or partly identified flavonoids that are generally less common. Twenty‐eight of the flavonoid glycosides have not previously been reported in other plant genera. Most species, in each of “Buxifoliatae”, “Flagriformes”, and Leonohebe, can be distinguished by their flavonoid profiles, generally through possession of unique combinations of compounds.