RESUMO
Objective: In order to obtain SSR primers which has good universality among the main tree species of Clerodendrum L., and then molecular screening of DNA fingerprints was used in closely related species and genetic research of these ethnical medicinal resources. Methods: An experiment was conducted to study the transferability of 19 pairs of SSR primers developed from C. izuinsulare and C. trichotomum and amplified in nine samples from nine species of Clerodendrum L. Results: Seventeen pairs of 19 primers had the amplification products in C. cyrtophyllum, a cosmopolitan species, the transferability ratio was the highest (89.5%). Seven pairs of primers were successfully amplified in all samples of Clerodendrum L. species, and the transferability ratio was 36.8%. Six pairs of polymorphism SSR primers were used to construct the DNA fingerprints of nine Clerodendrum L. species. In the primers, the CI140 identified seven Clerodendrum L. species except C. fortunatum and C. lindleyi. Coupled with CI132, CT042, CI107, or CI143, they identified all of the nine Clerodendrum L. species. Then, the genetic distances were used to generate a UPGMA tree. The results showed that C. fortunatum, belonging to Ser. Axilliflorae schauer, formed a cluster, and C. mandarinorum and C. cyrtophyllum formed another cluster, while the clusters of the others were difference from the shape classifications. Conclusion: The experiment proves a good way to develop Clerodendrum L. SSR primers from other related species. This study provides the important reference for the use of molecular markers of Clerodendrum L.