GENETIC VARIATIONS OF ACER PENTAPHYLLUM BASED ON AFLP ANALYSIS, SEED GERMINATION, AND SEED MORPHOLOGY

To study genetic variations of Acer pentaphyllum Diels, leaf samples were collected from three locations (Shade, Jiulong, and Yajiang) in Sichuan, China and were subjected to amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and sequence analysis of ribosomal protein L16 (rpL16) gene, internal transcribed spacer regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS nrDNA), and the chloroplast tRNA-Leu (tRNA-Leu) gene of the limited accessions. All A. pentaphyllum accessions formed one major cluster and showed little genetic variation. This lack of genetic variation was considered to be attributed to the close proximity of the three localities along the Yalong River. However, significant variations in seed morphology were, observed. Seeds that sink when soaked in water germinated well without warm and cold stratification.