Diversity and variability of Ardu (Ailanthus spp.) in arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan.

摘要

The diversity of Ailanthus spp. were characterized based on botanical or taxonomic characteristics, namely flower, flowering, protandry, pollination, pistils, pollen grains and leaf hairs. The amplification of 16S-23S internal transcribed spacers (ITS) was used for species differentiation at the genetic level between A. avikanians and A. excelsa. A. avikanians showed close resemblance with A. excelsa in the habit and external morphology but differ from the latter in having taxonomic variability, namely cleistogamy pollination, indeterminate flowering, bisexual protandry, hermaphrodite flowers, pistils with free styles, monomorphic and finely tuberculate pollen and single-celled unbranched hairs. Amplification of 16S-23S ITS was used for species differentiation between A. avikanians and A. excelsa. The bands were 1.2 kb in both species. After amplification, positive clones were sequenced. The sequence comparison revealed few single nucleotide changes and deletion of a single nucleotide from A. excelsa.