Population genetic structure in medicinal plant Lallemantia iberica (Lamiaceae)

Bieb.) also named Dragon's head ” is an annual plant cultivated for its seeds that contain about 30 %-38 % drying oil (siccative oil). Its seed oil is used in foods, dye and varnish industry. L. iberica seeds have traditional uses as reconstitute, stimulant, diuretic and expectorant. L. iberica in an important medicinal plant in our country and grows in various regions with different environmental conditions. At present no investigation has been reported about population genetic structure of this valuable plant species in Iran. Therefore, we carried out population genetic analysis of 11 populations of L. iberica by using ISSR molecular markers for the first time. Genetic diversity analysis revealed high within population genetic variability. AMOVA test produced significant genetic difference among the studied populations. Mantel test revealed significant correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance of the populations. STRUCTURE analysis and K-Means clustering revealed population genetic fragmentation and the presence of three gene pools for this species. The assignment test revealed the occurrence of limited gene flow among the populations. The results suggeste