A DNA barcode is a DNA fragment used to identify species. For land plants, DNA fragments of plastid genome could be the primary consideration. Unfortunately, most of the plastid candidate barcodes lack species-level resolution. The identification of DNA barcodes of high resolution at species level is critical to the success of DNA barcoding in plants. We searched the available plastid genomes f...

The genus Primula is extremely diverse in the east Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains (HHM) in China as a result of rapid radiation. In order to overcome the difficulty of morphological classification of this genus, we surveyed three plastid regions (rbcL, matK, and trnH-psbA) and two nuclear markers (ITS and ITS2) from 227 accessions representing 66 Primula species across 18 sections, to assess their...

Berberidaceae contains 17 genera and nearly 650 species, in which the genus Berberis Mahonia are sisters with a very close relationship share many similar characteristics. In past, two were merged into Berberis. At present, is at risk prioritized for conservation, especially species of fact, identification based on morphology parts sale (such as roots, stems, leaves) without reproductive organs...

DNA barcoding, the identification of species using one or a few short standardized DNA sequences, is an important complement to traditional taxonomy. However, there are particular challenges for barcoding plants, especially for species with complex evolutionary histories. We herein evaluated the utility of five candidate sequences - rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA, trnL-F and the internal transcribed spa...

BACKGROUND The plant working group of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life recommended the two-locus combination of rbcL+matK as the plant barcode, yet the combination was shown to successfully discriminate among 907 samples from 550 species at the species level with a probability of 72%. The group admits that the two-locus barcode is far from perfect due to the low identification rate, and t...

Collabieae (Orchidaceae) is a long neglected tribe with confusing tribal and generic delimitation and little-understood phylogenetic relationships. Using plastid matK, psaB, rbcL, and trnH-psbA DNA sequences and morphological evidence, the phylogenetic relationships within the tribe Collabieae were assessed as a basis for revising their tribal and generic delimitation. Collabieae (including the...

Radix Astragali is a popular herb used in traditional Chinese medicine for its proimmune and antidiabetic properties. However, methods are needed to help distinguish Radix Astragali from its varied adulterants. DNA barcoding is a widely applicable molecular method used to identify medicinal plants. Yet, its use has been hampered by genetic distance, base variation, and limitations of the bio-NJ...

Revwattsia fragilis (Watts) D.L. Jones (Dryopteridaceae), originally described as a Polystichum Roth by the pioneer Australian botanist Reverend W.W. Watts in 1914, is a rare epiphytic fern endemic to northeastern Queensland, Australia. Known from only a few populations, it is restricted to tropical rainforests in the Atherton Tablelands. We used the cpDNA markers psbA-trnH, rbcL, rbcL-accD, rp...

DNA barcoding in the land plants presents a number of challenges compared to DNA barcoding in many animal clades. The CO1 animal DNA barcode is not effective for plants. Plant species hybridize frequently, and there are many cases of recent speciation via mechanisms, such as polyploidy and breeding system transitions. Additionally, there are many life-history trait combinations, which combine t...