Variation among Cupressus species from the eastern hemisphere based on Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs)

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) data were analyzed from eighteen taxa of Cupressus from the eastern hemisphere. The following fourteen taxa were distinct in their RAPDs: Cupressus assamica (India), C. atlantica (Morocco), C. austrotibetica (Tibet), C. cashmeriana (Bhutan), C. chengiana (Sichuan), C. darjeelingensis (India), C. duclouxiana (Yunnan), C. dupreziana (Algeria), C. funebris (China), C. gigantea (Tibet), C. jiangeensis (Sichuan), C. sempervirens (Iran and cultivated), C. tonkinensis (Vietnam), and C. torrulosa (Nepal). Individuals of C. chengiana (Sichuan) were not very similar, but loosely allied with C. cashmeriana. Considerable diversity was found in the C. austrotibetica–gigantea complex as well as within C. chengiana. Cupressus sempervirens samples from Iran (native) and the cultivated strict form (Spain) were found to be nearly identical. Of all the Cupressus from eastern hemisphere, C. lusitanica (cult. Portugal) was most similar to C. assamica (India). Comparing C. lusitanica and C. assamica with three Cupressus species from Mexico and SW USA, C. arizonica, C. benthamii, and C. lindleyi, revealed that C. lusitanica was somewhat more similar to C. benthamii and C. lindleyi, from Mexico, than to C. assamica, from India. This strengthens the argument that C. lusitanica had its origin in the western hemisphere.  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-806-733-5558; fax: +1-806-733-5605. E-mail address: [email protected] (R.P. Adams). 0305-1978/02/$ see front matter  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 03 05 -1978( 02 )0 0073-X 18 K. Rushforth et al. / Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 31 (2003) 17–24