Abstract
Cypripedium macranthos Sw. var. speciosum (Rolfe) Koidz. (Orchidaceae) is a popular horticulture species that is threatened in the wild. The preservation of endangered plants in cultivation is important for maintaining the numbers of individuals and strains. However, there is a risk of genetic contamination or altering the historical genetic structure of the species. Therefore, the cultivation of endangered species requires careful management. To reveal the genetic variation in the cultivated population of C. macranthos var. speciosum in Iwate Prefecture, this study investigated the chloroplast trnL-F intergenic spacer and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. This showed that one individual had a clearly different sequence from the others. This different sequence was identical to or very similar to those of the Chinese endemics C. yunnanense, C. franchetii, and C. calcicola. Therefore, this individual was suspected of not being a native Japanese species. Consequently, it is necessary to investigate the morphological and genetic characteristics of all of the other individuals in the population as soon as possible and develop a management plan based on the results.
