ISSR and ITS comparisons among Pogonia japonica, P. minor and P. ‘Miyamatokisou’ nomen nudum

Abstract

Only the two species of Pogonia, the Orchidaceae, such as P. japonica Rchb. f. and P. minor (Makino) Makino are distributed in Japan but currently newly appeared only one or two individuals so-called P. ‘Miyamatokisou’ nomen nudum occurred in two locations. Genic relationships among these three taxa of Pogonia were studied with respect to ITS (Internal Transcribed Sequences). Thus, repeatable DNA polymorphisms were found among 20 ISSR primers studied. According to genetic distances analyzed, a group of P. japonica and P. minor and the other group of two strains of P. ‘Miyamatokisou’ nomen nudum were isolated. Although these two strains of P. ‘Miyamatokisou’ were distantly distributed but were genetically similar to each other. The ISSR domain of P. ‘Miyamatokisou’ were different from those of P. japonica and P. minor, respectively. It was suggested that certain edge effects along with the distribution of those two species might perform their polymorphisms and got a new speciation to perform P. ‘Miyamatokisou’. Depending on determination of ITS, the relationship between P. ‘Miyamatokisou’ and the two species of Pogonia were not determined. While the species of Pogonia have been recorded morphologically highly variable, the present research also concluded that those taxa studied here suggested highly variable.