Journal of chromatography. A
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There are a lot of taxonomic classifications of the genus Heracleum, and many authors indicate they need revision. Morphological identification is difficult to perform, as there are only few characteristic differences between each Heracleum species, varieties and forms. Furanocoumarins are characteristic compounds for the Apiaceae family, and they can be found in the whole genus in large quantities. ⋯ The method is characterised by high specificity, precision, reproducibility and stability values. It is for the first time that graft TLC is used for constructing fingerprints of herbs. The complete separation of ten structural analogues, by combining gradient TLC with the unidimensional multiple development technique, has not been reported yet.