Morphological and molecular variation among populations of octoploid Fragaria virginiana and F. chiloensis (Rosaceae) from North America

Relationships among 37 North American octoploid strawberry populations were studied by evaluating 44 morphological traits and 36 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Both data sets were analyzed by principal components analysis and UPGMA clustering based on genetic distances. Morphological data defined five groups: east of the Missouri River (Fragaria virginiana ssp. virginiana), the Black Hills (F. virginiana ssp. virginiana and ssp. glauca), from the eastern Cascades to the eastern Rocky Mountains (F. virginiana ssp. glauca), the western Cascades and Olympic Peninsula (F. virginiana ssp. platypetala), and the Pacific coast (F. chiloensis). Canonical discriminant analysis clearly discriminated populations into these provenances, suggesting that these groups are morphologically distinct. RAPD data defined three groups, one with F. virginiana ssp. virginiana and ssp. glauca, another with F. chiloensis, and a third with F. virginiana ssp. platypetala. The latter was more similar to F. chiloensis than F. virginiana, suggesting it is likely a subspecies of F. chiloensis. All octoploid North American strawberries have likely derived from a common ancestor and have differentiated into F. chiloensis and F. virginiana by adapting to moister and drier environments, respectively.