Assessment of classification ability for rbcL and trnL barcode in some Stemonaceae samples collected from northern Vietnam

Abstract

Stemona tuberosa Lour. a precious medicinal plant that belongs to the Stemonaceae family, has high applicability to human life. Extracts from leaves or roots of this herb contain many bioactive compounds with great value for both medical application and economy. However, there is not enough data related to evaluation and classification for Stemona species in Vietnam. Therefore, in this study, the authors used the DNA barcoding method to evaluate at the molecular level for four samples of Stemona tuberosa Lour. in northern Vietnam compared with other reference sequences from other species in the Stemonaceae family from GenBank based on two chloroplast barcodes rbcL and trnL. The primary results of genetics distance analysis and phylogenetic trees showed the close relationship between the four studied samples with Stemona tuberosa Lour. (sequenced from GenBank). The trnL with 1100 bp in length also proves the better classification ability of Stemona than the rbcL region with 600 bp in length. These outcomes would be the first promising step for further studies about Stemona and other herbs, thus contributing to both scientific research and practical applicability demands as classification and conservation.