Variation and phylogeny of the ribosomal DNA unit types and 5 S DNA inPetunia Jussieu

Summary Seven wildPetunia species including 2n = 18 species (P. parviflora Jussieu,P. linearis Hook.) and those with 2n = 14 (P. parodii Steene,P. axillaris Lam.,P. integrifolia Hook.,P. inflata R.E. Fries,P. violacea Lindl.) and tenPetunia hybrida horticultural lines were compared for polymorphisms in rDNA genes using the four restriction enzymesEcoRI,BamHI,HindIII andXhoI. All the unit types found in the lines pre-existed in the wild forms. There are two different sizes of either 11.45 or 11.6 kb./The 2n = 18 species are closely related to the 2n = 14 species, thus making thePetunia genus homogeneous. Moreover, it is likely thatP. hybrida lines originated in several kinds of crosses between these species. We constructed a dendrogram for all the 15 rDNA unit types found. Two main branches of the tree result from the presence or the absence ofHindIII sites. The main branch is divided according to variability at theEcoRI andBamHI sites. Taking into account the existence of several loci which carry one unit type only, we consider whether or not exchanges might occur between loci. Lines carrying two unit types and lines carrying three unit types support such a hypothesis.XhoI andBamHI fragments enable us to distinguish two types of 5S DNA corresponding to 2n = 18 and 2n = 14 species, respectively.P. hybrida lines and each 2n = 14 wild species carry one of the types only, that corresponds to one 5S DNA locus. The most parsimonious phylogenetic trees whatever the species chosen as the outgroup, do not fit with our knowledge ofPetunia and with taxonomy. This is likely because only few loci formed the basis of these phylogenetic constructions.