Format: ORAL

Supannika Phromkhlibnin1, Piyakaset Suksathan2, Thaya Jenjittikul1, Saroj Ruchisansakun1, Nicha Thawara1

1 Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Thailand 2 The Botanical Garden Organization, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand

The genus Utricularia is a carnivorous plant in the Lentibulariaceae family, consisting of around 270 species divided into 35 sections, of which 27 species are native to Thailand (from 7 sections). This genus possesses bladder-like traps with appendages surrounding the entrance. Numerous species of this plant in Thailand have not been investigated using molecular techniques, hence this study aims to determine the phylogenetic position of Utricularia in Thailand in comparison to other species in the GenBank database, using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and then reconstruction the ancestral state to study some selected morphological characters (life form, presence of rosette leaves, twining inflorescence, floral color, and hairy seed. The results reveal that Utricularia in Thailand evolved from multiple clades within many sections. Furthermore, most morphological characters evolve multiple times throughout their evolutionary history.