TAXONOMIC REASSESSMENT OF SOME CENTRAL-ASIAN AND HIMALAYAN SCALE-LEAVED TAXA OF JUNIPERUS (CUPRESSACEAE) SUPPORTED BY RANDOM AMPLIFICATION OF POLYMORPHIC DNA

Analysis of central Asian Juniperus using RAPD revealed that J. centra siatica, J. turkestanica, and J. pseudosabina appear to belong to a si ngle species, to be named J. pseudosabina. This conclusion is also sup ported by previous work on terpenoids. Putative J. indica from Nepal ( shrub form) was found to be distinct from J. pseudosabina. It appears that the common scale-leaved shrub or tree juniper of the Himalayas sh ould be called J. indica not J. pseudosabina.