OBJECTIVEpopulation genetic study of Magnolia officinalis and M. officinalis var. biloba was performed in this paper. The objectives of this study are to provide baseline data of molecular pharmaceutics for quality control of Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis.

METHODA total of 15 populations of M. officinalis and M. officinalis var. biloba were collected. PCR amplification and sequencing were performed with two chloroplast intergenic spacers psbA-trnH and trnL-trnF. Chloroplast haplotype frequencies were calculated, genetic diversity and genetic structure were estimated by using the program HAPLONST, and a haplotype network depicting the mutational relationships among distinct haplotypes was drawn following the principle of parsimony by TCS version 1.13.

RESULTThe differentiation of haplotype frequencies between M. officinalis and M. officiunalis var. biloba was significant although there was no private haplotypes of themselves.

CONCLUSIONThere was certain genetic divergence between M. officinalis and M. offcinalis var. biloba although the monophyletic clade of themselves was not still formed.