Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dendrobium devonianum is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with notable ornamental and medicinal value. METHODS: In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches were employed to investigate gene expression and secondary metabolite changes during four developmental stages of D. devonianum flowers. RESULTS: Metabolomic analysis identified 1186 distinct metabolites, with flavonoid compounds being the most abundant category (213 types). Transcriptomic analysis revealed 31 differentially expressed genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis and flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis pathways. Among these, key genes regulating flavonol synthesis, including F3H (Unigene0077194) and FLS (Unigene0062137), exhibited high expression levels in the early developmental stage (S1). CONCLUSIONS: Flavonoids serve as the major active components in D. devonianum flowers, exhibiting a wide range of pharmacological properties. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms driving flavonoid accumulation in D. devonianum, offering a foundation for further functional studies and applications in ornamental and medicinal plant research.