MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA REVEAL HYBRID ORIGIN OF WILD PRUNUS YEDOENSIS (ROSACEAE) FROM JEJU ISLAND, KOREA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORIGIN OF THE FLOWERING CHERRY

摘要

Premise of the study: The subgenus Cerasus of the genus Prunus includes several popular ornamental flowering cherries. Of the hundreds of cultivars, P. xyedoensis ('Somei-yoshino') is the most popular and familiar cultivar in Korea and Japan and is considered to be of hybrid origin. However, the hybrid origin of P. xyedoensis and its relationship to wild P. yedoensis, naturally occurring on Jeju Island, Korea, are highly controversial.