ABSTRACT
Objective Traditional identification methods of pharmacognosy is difficult to distinguish the seeds of Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius. In order to improve the efficacy and accuracy of identification and provide the scientific foundation for the establishment of Chinese herbal medicine seed quality standards, molecular identification methods of the seeds were established by DNA barcoding technology. Methods The pharmacognostical identification method was used to study the morphological identification and microscopic characters of different seeds. DNA barcodes and Chinese Pharmacopoeia species standard barcode database were employed to identify the seeds by ITS2 sequence comparison, genetic distance comparison and systematic NJ tree construction. Results Intraspecific genetic distances of individuals participating were smaller than interspecific genetic distances. Phylogenetic tree map showed that two species were repectively clustered into one. A total of 42 samples of seeds from Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius produced by nine areas were all top-quality and easy to distinguish. Conclusion ITS2 DNA barcodes can identify and differentiate the seeds of P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius germplasm resources quickly, accurately and efficiently.