Characterization of polymorphic microsatellites for Tripterygium (Celastraceae), a monospecific genus of medicinal importance

 Premise of the study : Microsatellite markers were developed for the medicinal plant Tripterygium (Celastraceae) to assess its population structure and to facilitate source tracking of plant materials used for medicinal extracts.  Methods and Results : Ten microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized in T. wilfordii using an enriched genomic library. The number of alleles per locus ranged from fi ve to 12. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.166 to 0.630 and 0.392 to 0.562, respectively.  Conclusions : These markers will be useful for a variety of applications including source tracking of plant materials, resolution of taxonomic issues, and population genetics studies.