Cratylia mollis (Leguminosae) is an endemic Brazilian plant popularly known as “caramatuba” or “caramatu”, and it commonly found in semi-arid and “caatinga” regions in northeastern Brazil ( Lewis, 1987). This species is appreciated for its potential as forage, and it is recommended to improve caprine and bovine nutrition, especially during the dry seasons in the semi-arid northeastern regions ( Vargas et al., 2007). Previous studies have described this plant as the most adapted species to the “caatinga” due its large capacity of regrowth with young and soft branches without thorns, thus making this species appropriate for animal feed ( Queiroz et al., 1997).
To date, there has been only one chemical study on the leaves of C. mollis, which led to the isolation and identification of megastimanes and triterpenes ( Lima et al., 2009). The present study describes the flavonoid content of C. mollis leaves and stems, and it identifies new flavans isolated from this species. The identification and structural elucidation were conducted by extensive analysis of spectral data and comparison with the literature.