Morphological traits of Abelmoschus species and matK gene-based distinct barcodes for A. enbeepeegeearensis and A. tetraphyllus

Genus Abelmoschus accommodates 17 species, of which 13 are available in India. A few species, including A. enbeepeegeearensis, are newly reported from India. In addition to the morphological distinctiveness and crossability assessments, molecular support through DNA barcoding will be advantageous while describing a new species. This study has evaluated three accessions for each of the six species A. esculentus, A. tuberculatus, A. moschatus, A. caillei, A. enbeepeegeearensis, and A. tetraphyllus for 20 important morphological traits. Distinct morphological features for each species are detailed here. Species-specific traits, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis have distinctly differentiated the species. Morphological evaluation was followed by DNA barcoding using the matK chloroplast gene. The matK locus was found conserved across the genus yet accommodated characteristic barcodes for A. enbeepeegeearensis at 54 (T to A) and 289 (A to C) bp in the coding region. Similarly, a characteristic barcode for A. tetraphyllus (C to A) was found at 154 bp. Since the matK gene is mostly conserved in Abelmoschus, more chloroplast mutational hotspots need to be screened to identify the characteristic barcodes for the remaining species.