The Asteraceae, one of the largest families of flowering plants, contains about 1,100 genera and 20,000 species, and is well known for its extensive karyotypic variation. In this study, conventional Feulgen staining, C-CMA3 banding, and fluorescence in situ hybridization with a 45S rDNA probe were used to determine the chromosome number and the number and physical position of GC-rich heterochromatin and 45S rDNA sites in three Asteraceae weed species (Crepis japonica, Galinsoga parviflora and Chaptalia nutans). The three species exhibited karyotype differences in the chromosome number and shape, as a commom feature of Asteraceae. However, the 45S rDNA sites always occurred on the short chromosomal arms, associated with GC-heterochromatin. Althought of these differences, it suggests that commom features of plant karyotype are maintained.
CMA3; FISH; heterochromatin; polyploidy; 45S rDNA
