<![CDATA[Abstract. Hien PTT, Thoa TTK, Tam HM. 2026. DNA barcoding-based identification of Praxelis clematidea collected from Phu Tho Province, Vietnam. Biodiversitas 27 (6): d270616. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270616. Praxelis clematidea, commonly known as praxelis, is a member of the family Asteraceae and is widely distributed in Vietnam. Morphological similarities with related taxa in Asteraceae often complicate accurate species identification. In this study, specimens of P. clematidea collected from Tu Vu Commune, Phu Tho Province, Vietnam (designated as P. clematidea TV) were identified using molecular markers. Four DNA barcode regions, including the nuclear ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) and three chloroplast markers (matK, rpoC1, and trnL), were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed phylogenetically. The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers PX622467.1 (ITS), PX614615.1 (matK), PX614617.1 (rpoC1), and PX614618.1 (trnL). Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the Maximum Likelihood method implemented in Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 12 (MEGA12). The ITS analysis placed P. clematidea TV together with P. clematidea (MN889429.1) with a bootstrap value of 96%. Similarly, matK grouped the sample with P. clematidea (accession numbers KX526581.1) with 96% bootstrap support, whereas trnL clustered it with P. clematidea (accession numbers KT002019.1 and KT002021.1) with a bootstrap value of 76%. The rpoC1 marker showed lower phylogenetic resolution, with the clade containing P. clematidea and Ageratum conyzoides (accession numbers MK905238.1) receiving a bootstrap value of 42%. These results demonstrate that the combined use of nuclear and chloroplast DNA barcodes provides reliable evidence for the identification and taxonomic placement of P. clematidea collected from Phu Tho Province, Vietnam.]]>
