Sansone, Marissa & Yourha Kang. Theta Xi, Iona College. A comparison of native and cultivated Asclepias tuberosa plants based on intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) polymorphisms.

Asclepias tuberosa, a.k.a. butterfly weed, is a member of the milkweed family and is found throughout the majority of the contiguous United States. The plant has been traditionally valued for its medicinal properties, and as its name suggests, its ability to attract butterflies. With showy orange flowers, butterfly weed is readily sold in garden centers and seed catalogs. However, native populations of the plant have apparently been disappearing in the northeastern part of the United States, including New York State. For this project, we are determining whether the cultivated plants purchased from various seed catalogs are genetically distinct from native populations found in different areas of the United States including New York, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Iowa, and Tennessee. We are comparing these plants by analyzing ISSR polymorphisms using a PCR-based technique. Results will be presented and discussed.

Click here for a picture of Marissa presenting her poster