GENETIC VARIATION OF CRYPTOCORYNE MINIMA RIDL. (ARACEAE) OF SELARONG RIVER AND JELUTUNG RIVER IN PERAK

Cryptocoryne minima (Araceae) is an aquatic and endemic plant species restricted to a few localities within the Malay Peninsular. We use random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to assess genetic variation among individuals of C. minima present in 2 locations, namely Selarong River and Jelutung River in Pondok Tanjung Forest Reserve (PTFR), Perak. Genomic DNA was extracted from 40 individuals of C. minima from the 2 locations and RAPD analysis was carried out by using 6 random primers, OPA-20, OPC-01, OPC-12, OPC-14, OPH-08 and OPH-12, which produced a total of 135 polymorphic bands. A dendogram generated from UPGMA cluster analysis and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) successfully divided samples from Selarong River and Jelutung River into 2 main clusters. C. minima from these 2 locations can also be differentiated using leaf characteristics.