PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS OF SOME GENERA IN THE RANUNCULACEAE BASED ON ALCOHOL-DEHYDROGENASE GENES

Fragments of the nuclear-encoded gene for alcohol dehydrogenase (adh) were amplified from 23 species representing 17 genera in the Ranuncula ceae and one in the Berberidacena using polymerase chain reaction meth od. Homology of sequences among the 26 amplified fragments suggests th at the Ranunculaceae have two adh genes, adh1 and adh2, which are obvi ously separated into two clusters in both the neighbor joining and max imum parsimony trees, respectively. The cluster of adh1 genes is divid ed into four clades which support the classification based on cytologi cal and morphological data. The phylogenetic analysis of T-type chromo some group clearly suggests that Coptis and Xanthoriza are a monophyle tic group, and that Thalictrum with achenes were derived from Enemion and its allied genera with follicles.