The rDNA sequence analysis of three Dendrobium species

Positive molecular identification of medicinal plants is necessary to their misuse. Dendrobii Caulis is a famous Chinese herbal medicine traditionally used in ophthalmology. However, the identification of the species based on morphology is difficult. In this study, three Dendrobium species were collected and differentiated by the sequences of partial rDNA (ribosomal DNA) sections which contain the ITS 1, 5.8S, and ITS 2 regions. The Dendrobium species used in this reseach included Dendrobium tosaense, Dendrobium officinale, and Dendrobium moniliforme. The length of PCR products are 632 nt for D. tosaense, 627 nt for D. officinale, and 628 nt for D. moniliform, respectively. The similarities of the rDNA region between the species pairs shown range from 91% to 95%. The results we present here may be helpful in identifying other species of Dendrobium.