Combined analyses of RAPDs, cpDNA and morphology demonstrate spontaneous hybridization in the plant genus Chaenomeles

Evidence of spontaneous hybridization between two partially sympatric species of Chaenomeles, C. cathayensis and C. speciosa, has been obtained through analysis of offspring families from these two species, as well as from two presumed interspecific hybrid populations. A combination of different methods was applied. Analysis of diagnostic RAPD markers and of chloroplast DNA haplotypes supported the notion of spontaneous hybridization, and suggested that there has been symmetrical, rather than unidirectional, introgression between C. cathayensis and C. speciosa. RAPDs and morphological characters revealed concordant patterns of genetic relatedness among the studied offspring families. Some putative hybrid families had mainly intermediate characters, whereas others appeared to be later generation hybrids as they were genetically and phenotypically rather similar to families that appeared to represent pure species. The RAPD-based proportion of between-family variability was considerably higher in the putatively hybridogenous populations than in populations of the pure species. Within-family gene diversity estimates ranged from C. speciosa (max. Hj = 0.235) to C. cathayensis (min. Hj = 0.094) with the presumed hybrid families taking intermediate values.