Sequencing analysis of the medicinal plant Stemona tuberosa and five related species existing in Thailand based on trnH-psbA chloroplast DNA.

In Thailand, Stemona tuberosa Lour. , S. phyllantha Gagnep. , S. collinsae Craib , S. burkillii Prain , S. aphylla Craib and S. sp. are found. The identification based on morphological characters alone is difficult and can lead to confusion regarding chemical constituents and biological activities. The tuberous roots of S. tuberosa have long been used for treatment of respiratory diseases and as anthelmintics. However, accurate identification of S. tuberosa is needed to ensure efficacy. Sequence comparison indicated that these Stemona spp. could be identified from the sequence of the trnH- psbA locus. As a result of different sequence lengths, the PCR products generated from newly designed primers could be used to preliminarily group the two species, S. tuberosa and S. phyllantha, apart from others. However, these products could be further sequenced to discriminate among Stemona spp.