Genetic differences among populations of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr

In this study, genetic differences among 24 populations of Gynura procumbens from different geographical regions were studied using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and trnL-trnF sequences. The ITS sequence had an aligned length of 718 bp and a G+ C content of 49.8%, with five variable sites and three parsimonious informative sites. The trnL-trnF sequence had an aligned length of 835 bp and a G+ C content of 35.0%, with six variable sites and three parsimonious informative sites. The phylogenetic tree based on trnL-trnF sequences showed that all populations of G. procumbens clustered into one branch, indicating that this sequence has strong identification abilities in genetic difference research. Phylogenetic analysis using both ITS and trnL-trnF sequences showed similar results. Populations collected from Taiwan and Indonesia were grouped into one clade, whereas those collected from Guizhou, Guangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong shared close relationships corresponding to their geographical distribution patterns.