Vallisneria Denseserrulata Makino (Hydrocharitaceae) in Iran: A New Record Confirmed by nrITS and matK/trnK 5' Intron Data

Two specimens of Vallisneria denseserrulata from the southeastern part of the Seimareh River in the Iranian province of Ilam were documented as new records for the flora of Iran. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of the specimens using DNA Sequence data from nuclear internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) and the plastid matK and trnK 5' intron gene regions revealed that the specimens are not conspecific with V. spiralis that has long been regarded to be the sole representative of the genus in Iran. Although their quite similar appearances do not preclude the possibility of the two siblings as being misidentified with each other, the fact that Vallisneria species are highly cultivated and traded commercially around the world, as well as its resolution within the clade containing the cultivated material of unknown provenance, left open the possibility of it being an escapee from cultivation which has established and naturalized in the region.