Abstract: The DNA barcode to molecularly identify the wild Coptis species in Houhe National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province and provide a preliminary basis for the protection and potential development of Coptis in the protected area. The total DNA of 12 Coptischinensis and their close related species were extracted, ITS2 and psbA-TrnH PCR were amplified and sequenced.Homologous sequences were also downloaded and selected according to sequence alignment from GenBank database. All the sequences were aligned, and the neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic trees were constructed. A total of 82 ITS2 sequences and 24 psbA-TrnH sequences were obtained. Different species of Coptis were clustered separately. The average K2P genetic distances for Coptischinensis, Coptischinensis var.brevisepala and Coptis spp. were 0.017, 0.008 and 0.051, respectively. Combined morphological identification and the DNA barcode molecular identification technology, different Coptis species could be well distinguished and identified. The wild Coptis spp. in Houhe National Nature Reserve of Hubei was successfully identified as Coptischinensis var. brevisepala and their ITS2 and psbA-TrnH sequence lengths were 200 and 258 bp, respectively.

Key words: molecular identification;Coptischinensis Franch, ITS2, psbA-TrnH, Coptischinensis var.brevisepala