Covering: up to the end of March 2012

Stilbenoids, a family of polyphenols known for the complexity of their structure and for their diverse biological activities, occur with a limited but heterogeneous distribution in the plant kingdom. The most prominent stilbene containing plant family, the Vitaceae, represented by the famous wine producing grape vines Vitis vinifera L., is one of the richest sources of novel stilbenes currently known, together with other families, such as Dipterocarpaceae, Gnetaceae and Fabaceae. This review focuses on the distribution of stilbenes and 2-arylbenzofuran derivatives in the plant kingdom, the chemical structure of stilbenes in the Vitaceae family and their taxonomic implication.