Sequence analysis of the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) in Chinese Amaranthus and its systematic utility

The sequences of the ITS region (including ITS-1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA from 15 species of the genus Amaranthus L. and outgroup Celosia cristata L. were determined. The result shows that the size of the ITS region of Amaranthus is from 629 to 632 bp, and the length variation is only found in ITS-1 (250-253 bp). On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences, the Amaranthus species in China may be divided into three sections, viz., sect. Spinosus, sect. Amaranthus and sect. Paucestamen; the cultivated species, viz., Amaranthus paniculatus L., A. cruentus L., A. caudatus L. and A. hypochondriacus L. can be treated as the subsp. of A. hybridus L.; A. taishanensis F.Z. Li and A. tenuifolius Willd are both closely related to species in the sect. Paucestamen. The study also indicated that the number of stamens has more phylogenetic information than other characters, such as the number of sepals and dehiscence/indehiscence of fruits in Amaranthus.