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Article: Secondary Metabolites in Plants
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- Biology
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Secondary Metabolites in Plants
Secondary metabolites are chemicals produced by plants for which no role has yet been found in growth, photosynthesis, reproduction, or other "primary" functions. These chemicals are extremely diverse; many thousands have been identified in several major classes. Each plant family, genus, and species produces a characteristic mix of these chemicals, and they can sometimes be used as taxonomic characters in classifying plants. Humans use some of these compounds as medicines, flavorings, or recreational drugs.
Secondary metabolites can be classified on the basis of chemical structure (for example, having rings, containing a sugar), composition (containing ...