Seeking for New Members of Origin Materials (A New Usage of Plant Species) for CMM

Abstract

Two major problems of medicinal plants are developing more effective resources and searching for new medicine resources. In recent years, many studies are focused on medicinal plant resources. Molecular systematics of medicinal plants plays an important role in identifying medicinal plants and searching for new medicinal plants. This chapter introduces development of plant systematics, research methods of plant systematics, theoretical basis for molecular systematics of medicinal plants, and some study cases in resources of medicinal plants. Research methods of plant systematics contain morphological taxonomy, anatomy taxonomy, embryo taxonomy, and cell taxonomy. Determination of monophyletic group and character analysis were also based on these theories. Beside the taxonomy, nDNA, cpDNA, and mtDNA, existing in the plant cells and responsible for the differences of the genome structure and function, provide alternative and diversified sources of characters for phylogenetic. These studies all provide the theoretical basis for new members of medicinal plants.