Abstract
The carotenoids in 4 Hepaticae and 22 Musci were investigated. By column and TLC, the following carotenoids were present: lycopene, .alpha.-carotene, .beta.-carotene, .gamma.-carotene, .beta.-carotene epoxide, .beta.-carotene diepoxide, .beta.-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lutein epoxide, zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, aurochrome, auroxanthin, mutatochrome, mutatoxanthin and ketocarotenoid. The carotenoids which occurred most frequently in the moss species investigated were .alpha.-carotene, .beta.-carotene, .beta.-cryptoxanthin, .beta.-carotene epoxide, lutein and zeaxanthin. The total carotenoid content ranged from 0.989-39.115 .mu.g/g fresh wt.