Genetic Diversity and Relationship among and within the Bird of Paradise Plants of Strelitziaceae and Heliconiaceae

Bird of paradise plants belong to families Strelitziaceae and Heliconiaceae, two close-related families in the Zingiberales order. This study aimed to study the genetic diversity and relationship of species among and within Strelitziaceae and Heliconiaceae using molecular RAPD markers and compare them to morphological characters. Samples used comprised two species from Strelitziaceae and eight species from Heliconiaceae. Twenty OPA primers showed that 17 out of 20 OPA primers were successfully amplified. Primer OPA-10 was the most informative and recommended, followed by OPA-5, OPA-7, OPA-9, OPA-11, OPA-17, OPA-18, OPA-19, and OPA-20. Heliconiaceae and Strelitziaceae were high genetic diversity (P=100%, I=0.388±0.016, He=0.237±0.013) with low similarities (0.09-0.39). Heliconiaceae was more genetically diverse than Strelitziaceae. Heliconiaceae produced P=98.88%, I=0.409±0.017, and He=0.254±0.014. Strelitziaceae produced P=60.53%, I=0.366±0.049, and He=0.251±0.033. The tree topology based on the RAPD marker differs slightly from morphology. However, the morphological characteristics are important to support and complement it. Strelitziaceae was strongly separated from Heliconiaceae, which supports the monophyly of both families. Heliconiaceae was separated into two subclusters and paraphyletic. Subcluster 1 comprises subgenera Heliconia and Stenochlamys. Subcluster 2 comprises subgenera Griggsia and Stenochlamys. In conclusion, the molecular RAPD marker proved the powerful of classification at the family level but moderate at subgenus, section, and species levels. Nonetheless, it is considered a simple and valuable method to provide a primary reference for taxonomic delimitation, conservation and breeding efforts of the bird of paradise plants in the future.