Taxonomic assessment of two species of Rhodiola, Rhodiola crenulata and Rhodiola fastigiata was carried out and compared with two famous species, Rhodiola rosea and Rhodiola pachyclados. HPLC and Fourier Transform Near-Infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy techniques with the discriminant analysis and partial least squares regression (PLS) analysis were used for identification, classification, standardization and quality control of these species, Rhodiola crenulata and Rhodiola fastigiata. A rapid, nondestructive and innovative Fourier transform Near-Infrared spectroscopy analysis method with chemometrics techniques for qualitative and quantitative measurement of rhodionin was developed. On the basis of WHO recommendation utilizing authentic techniques as HPLC and Near-Infrared spectroscopy, it is ascertained that Rhodiola crenulata and Rhodiola fastigiata are two distinct species of Sichuan province and Tibet in China.

Key words: Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy; HPLC; Rhodiola crenulata; Rhodiola fastigiata; Rhodionin; Partial least squares; Discriminant analysis.