Morphological and DNA barcode characterisƟcs of Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H.Wright collected from Chu Yang Sin NaƟonal Park, Dak Lak Province

Tóm tắt

IntroducƟon: Dioscorea zingiberensis is a medicinal herb with significant nutriƟonal and pharmacological value. It is listed in both the Vietnam Red Data Book and the Red List of Medicinal Plants of Vietnam, and first idenƟfied in Chu Yang Sin NaƟonal Park, Dak Lak Province. ObjecƟve: This study aimed to invesƟgate the morphological and anatomical characterisƟcs of Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H.Wright collected from Chu Yang Sin NaƟonal Park, Dak Lak. Methods: Roots, stems, and leaves were idenƟfied based on morphological and anatomical analysis, combined with gene sequencing using the Sanger method. The obtained sequences were compared with reference sequences available in the GenBank database. Results: The results illustrated D. zingiberensis is an herbaceous, climbing plant with leŌ-twining stems; leaves are heart-shaped, alternate, and bear two small spines; the fruit is a capsule; and the rhizome is horizontal, light brown, and bears numerous hard, fibrous roots. The microscopic observaƟons of the stems, leaves, and roots revealed characterisƟc anatomical features of the genus Dioscorea, which help disƟnguish the species from closely related taxa. DNA sequencing results demonstrated a high degree of similarity between the studied sequence and the published D. zingiberensis sequences in GenBank, confirming accurate species idenƟficaƟon. Conclusion: This study established a reference dataset on the morphology, anatomy, and DNA barcode of D. zingiberensis collected from Chu Yang Sin, contribuƟng to the accurate idenƟficaƟon, conservaƟon, and sustainable uƟlizaƟon of Dioscorea geneƟc resources in Vietnam.