INHERITANCE AND RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM OF CHLOROPLAST DNA IN THE GENUS COFFEA L

CpDNA variation among 52 tree samples belonging to 25 different laxa o f Coffea and two species of Psilanthus was assessed by RFLP analysis o n both the total chloroplast genome and the atpB-rbcL, intergenic regi on. Twelve variable characters were distinguished allowing the identif ication of 12 different plastomes, The low sequence divergence observe d might suggest that Coffea is a young genus, The results were in cont radiction with the present classification into two genera. Additionall y, cpDNA inheritance was studied in interspecific hybrids between C. a rabica and C. canephora, and in an intraspecific progeny of C. canepho ra, using PCR-based markers. Both studies showed exclusively maternal inheritance of cpDNA.