XVI International Botanical Congess

The relationships of North American Yellow Lady's Slipper Orchids (Cypripedium) and their relatives were investigated using ISSR markers. DNA from multiple populations of C. parviflorum var. parviflorum, C. parviflorum var. pubescens sampled from across their ranges, as well as C. kentuckiense and C. candidum, was amplified using a battery of ISSR primers. Individuals were scored for the presence or absence of bands for each primer and the data were analyzed cladistically and phenetically. Variation was detected for most primers, some of which distinguished species (such as C. candidum and C. parviflorum) or united populations within a variety, while others appeared to be related to geography. The relationship of the ISSR patterns to morphology was also investigated