D EVELOPMENT OF MICROSATELLITE MARKERS FROM C ERCIS CHINENSIS (FABACEAE) 1

100049 People’s Republic of China  Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed to characterize the level of genetic diversity and population genetic structure of Cercis chinensis , a widely cultivated garden plant in China with congeneric species disjunctly distributed in East Asia, North America, and the Mediterranean.  Methods and Results: Using the Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences COntaining repeats (FIASCO) protocol, eight microsatellite markers were developed in C. chinensis . Seven of the markers displayed polymorphism, with the number of alleles ranging from one to four in four populations of C. chinensis . Four to six microsatellite loci exhibited interspecifi c transferability in C. glabra , C. chuniana , and C. chingii .  Conclusions: These are the fi rst microsatellite markers developed for C. chinensis , which will be further used in investigation of population genetic structure and phylogeographic pattern of C. chinensis and its congeneric species.