Molecular evidence for the taxonomic identity of Korean Adonis (Ranunculaceae)

Although Korean Adonis has been traditionally recognized as Adonis amurensis Regel and Radde with various infraspecific taxa described, its taxonomic identity is still in dispute. We investigated the genetic variation in 60 individuals from 12 populations in Korea to elucidate the taxonomic identity of the Korean Adonis complex. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed that Korean Adonis comprises three species: A. amurensis, A. pseudoamurensis, and A. multiflora. Adonis amurensis is distributed in northern central inland regions of Korea and A. pseudoamurensis is found in southern parts of the Korean peninsula. Adonis multiflora grows only on Cheju Island, which is the southernmost part of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences partially supported the presence of three Adonis taxa in Korea as detected by RAPD analysis. The Adonis population on Jangbong Island located in the West Sea, which was referred to as A. pseudoamurensison the basis of morphological examination, was separated from the other populations of A. pseudoamurensis. Otherwise, the molecular evidence is well congruent with the recent morphological study that proposes that Korean Adonis consists of these three species.