Abstract

BOTANICAL AND GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF DALBERGIA PANICULATA ROXB. CULTIVATED IN EGYPT

Amira K. El-Motayam* , Dina M. R. Abou-Hussein , Soad H. Tadros and Elsayed A. Aboutabl

Abstract

Genus Dalbergia (Fabaceae) comprises about 159 species, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar and Southern Asia. Dalbergia paniculata Roxb. is a perennial non climbing tree with yellowish white flowers. Its heartwood is used in making musical instruments and construction of buildings. Reports had shown its antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiulcerogenic and antidiarrheal activities. The macro- and micromorphological characters of the different organs (young and old stem, leaf and seed) of Dalbergia paniculata Roxb., grown in Egypt, were presented and illustrated for their identification in both entire and powdered form. Furthermore, the DNA of the plant was extracted from leaf samples and analyzed using 15 decamer random primers. A total of 179 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were identified and compared with that of Dalbergia sisso Roxb. Both the botanical study and the DNA fingerprint play a role in the identification of the plant.

Keywords: Dalbergia paniculata, botanical study, DNA fingerprint.