Genetic variation of Prunus cerasoides D. Don, a framework tree species in northern Thailand

Prunus cerasoides D. Don has been identified as an excellent ‘framework tree species’ for restoring evergreen forest in seasonally dry tropical forestlands. Here we describe the level of microsatellite variation in P. cerasoides trees within and among three National Parks in northern Thailand: Doi Suthep-Pui, Doi Inthanon and Doi Ang Khang, using published primers developed for peach, sweet cherry and sour cherry. The five microsatellite loci employed detected a total of 41 alleles, with the average number of alleles per locus per study site ranging from 2.7 to 8.0 (n = 82). The value of FST over the three sites was 0.115, indicating that while the majority of genetic diversity may be contained within sites, they should be considered as genetically distinct. The implications of this for seed collection of this species for forest restoration are discussed.