Abstract: Traditional methods of authentication are not always reliable in differentiation of Dysosma species. We explored the potentiality of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique for the differentiation of the medicinal plants. Among the forty-two primers screened, twelve were able to generate reproducible bands that distinguished the seven samples of five Dysosma species, D. versipellis (Hance) M. Cheng from 3 localities, D.majorense (Gagnep.) Ying, D. pleiantha (Hance) Woodson, D. furfuracea S.Y Bao, and D. veitchii (Hemsl. et Wils.) Fu. Characteristic RAPD marker bands unique to each of the seven Dysosma samples were identified. RAPD polymorphism was lower among the intra-specific samples of D. versipellis, but higher in inter-specific samples. Our results demonstrate that RAPD marker technique can effectively authenticate these seven Dysosma samples.

Key words: DNA, DNA, RAPD fingerprints, RAPD fingerprints, Dried medicinal materials, Dried medicinal materials, Dysosma, Dysosma