Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Salvia L. is the largest genus of the family Lamiaceae, which includes approximately 1000 species. According to recent studies, 100 Salvia species in total grow in Turkey. At the same time, 53% of them are endemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic relationships among 15 Salvia species that grow in wild conditions in Turkey's Eastern Anatolia region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The genetic relationships among 15 Salvia species were investigated using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic-DNA (RAPD) profiles in the present study. Thirteen ISSR primers and 11 RAPD primers were utilized. The ISSR and RAPD data were combined to construct the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average cluster. RESULTS: Based on the RAPD and ISSR data, the Salvia species were classified into six groups. As a result of the combined analysis, it was shown that similarities between the species varied between 0.54 (S. rosifolia-S. sclarea, S. rosifolia-S. limbata, and S. staminea-S. verticillata) and 0.93 (S. sclera-S. divaricata). CONCLUSION: The findings show that the two markers represent powerful instruments for assessing the genetic diversity and relationships among Salvia species.