Objective: To define the genetic relationship and other genetic characters of different varieties of Rehmannia glutinosa.
Method: RAPD reactions were conducted on total 54 samples from 16 varieties and 2 populations of R. glutinosa. The data were analyzed by Phylips, Popgene and Arlequin software.
Result: The majority rule consensus tree defined the 54 samples to 3 groups. Population genetics analysis and AMOVA showed that the genetic diversity among varieties/populations much greater than that within varieties/populations, but within group II the genetic diversity among varieties was similar to that within varieties.
Conclusion: Due to the long-time asexual propagation of R. glutinosa, some genetic differentiation has been accumulated and fixed within the species. It was shown that the genetic distance between wild population and cultivated varieties was greater than the genetic distance among cultivated varieties. The wild resource of the plant should be paid more attention and studies.