Origins of Hosta Cultivars Based on Sequence Variations in Chloroplast DNA

We analyzed the sequence variations in chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) for 31 Hosta cultivars, which may have been derived from Hosta sieboldiana and H. albomarginata in Japan, in order to elucidate the population origins of Hosta cultivars in their native habitats. In a previous study, we identified 39 haplotypes of cpDNA with specific regional features in the native habitats (16 and 23 in H. sieboldiana and H. albomarginata, respectively). These regional features of cpDNA variations were used to explore the maternal population origins of Hosta cultivars. We found that multiple Hosta cultivars may have originated from H. sieboldiana and H. albomarginata. We also observed some additional haplotypes that had not been detected previously. It is possible that these haplotypes originated from populations that were not investigated in previous studies, or that mutations occurred in the cultivar sequences after breeding.