Phytochemical Analysis and Elemental Contents of Varieties of Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites

Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) is a medicinal plant that belongs to the family Annonaceae, and it is distributed in the tropics. This plant is widely grown in West Africa for its ornamental and medicinal purposes. There are two varieties of P. longifolia which are commonly distinguishable by the direction of their branches. One has spreading perpendicular branches, and the other has drooping pendulous branches. Traditional herbal practitioners believe that one variety (P. longifolia cv. pendula) is more medicinal than the other. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the phytochemical components of the two varieties of P. longifolia by HPTLC, UPLC, and elemental analysis by ICP-EOS. No observable differences were found in the phytochemical and elemental profiles of these varieties that could help distinguish one from the other or could account for its supposed differences in medicinal properties. A total of 22 elements were detected in the samples of the two varieties of the plant. Qualitatively, the elemental content of both varieties was similar. Only Iridium was not detected in all samples. Heavy metals including As, Pb, Cd, and Hg had their levels above the recommended limits.