Origins of traditional cultivars of Primula sieboldii revealed by nuclear microsatellite and chloroplast DNA variations

Abstract

We examined the origins of 120 cultivars of Primula sieboldii, a popular Japanese pot plant with a cultivation history of more than 300 years. In an assignment test based on the microsatellite allelic composition of representative wild populations of P. sieboldii from the Hokkaido to Kyushu regions of Japan, most cultivars showed the highest likelihood of derivation from wild populations in the Arakawa River floodplain. Chloroplast DNA haplotypes of cultivars also suggested that most cultivars have come from genets originating in wild populations from the same area, but, in addition, that several are descended from genets originating in other regions. The existence of three haplotypes that have not been found in current wild populations suggests that traditional cultivars may retain genetic diversity lost from wild populations.