Development of polymorphic EST‐SSR markers in Itea chinensis (Iteaceae) and cross‐amplification in related species

Premise of the Study We isolated and characterized 16 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST‐SSR) markers in Itea chinensis (Iteaceae), a common evergreen broadleaf tree, for future studies on the genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure of the species. Methods and Results Based on transcriptome data of I. chinensis, a total of 36 primer pairs were initially designed and tested. Of these, 16 were successfully amplified and showed clear polymorphism. For these markers, the number of alleles per locus varied from two to 15. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.600 and 0.072 to 0.554, respectively. Furthermore, all loci were successfully cross‐amplified in two congeneric species, I. oblonga and I. yangchunensis. Conclusions The EST‐SSR markers described here can be used to study the genetic diversity and phylogeographic patterns of I. chinensis and other related species in Itea.