• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.335-358
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• 2004

To investigate molecular phylogenetic relationships and to test hypothesis of hybrid origin of Ranunculus cantoniensis (Ranunculaceae), the sequences of nrDNA and chloroplast DNA were analyzed for 8 taxa and 25 accessions including 5 accessions of outgroup. In the phylogenetic trees by analyses of maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood for ITS nrDNA sequences and combined data of psbA-trnH, rps16 and trnL sequences of cpDNA, R. cantoniensis was most closely related to R. chinensis, and then to R. taciroi and R. silerifolius. The molecular phylogenetic relationships were not congruent with the previous report that R. cantoniensis was most closely related to R. silerifolius. In the sequence analysis of ITS and psbA-trnH, rps16, trnL for R. cantoniensis and the related taxa, R. cantoniensis showed polymorphism. It supported that the polymorphism also was reported in chromosome number and karyotype of R. cantoniensis. Ranunculus cantoniensis shared the marker gene of R. chinensis and R. silerifolius in ITS, and one of R. silerifolius in cpDNA. These results supported the hypothesis that R. cantoniensis was caused by hybridization between R. chinensis and R. silerifolius based on chromosome number and karyotype, and also estimated that R. silerifolius might be of maternal origin and R. chinensis be paternal.