<![CDATA[Abstract. Thi DHN, Truong M-D, Nguyen VT. 2026. Morphological and molecular authentication of black ginger (Kaempferia parviflora) from Northwest Vietnam. Biodiversitas 27 (9): d270914. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270914. Black ginger (Kaempferia parviflora) is a medicinally important Zingiberaceae species whose rhizomes are valued for methoxyflavone-related bioactivity. Because it closely resembles congeners and is commonly traded as dried or powdered material, reliable authentication is essential. This study authenticated one representative voucher accession collected from Sin Ho, Lai Chau Province, Northwest Vietnam, by integrating morphological, anatomical, and DNA-barcoding evidence. Morphological characters were compared with the protologue and published descriptions, while leaf, petiole, and root anatomy were examined microscopically. Three molecular regions rbcL, matK, and an ITS2-containing partial ITS region were analyzed using BLASTn, Kimura 2-Parameter distances, and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic inference. The leaf, flower, and purple-fleshed rhizome were consistent with K. parviflora, whereas anatomical characters supported placement within Zingiberaceae but were not species-specific. The rbcL and matK sequences placed the accession within Kaempferia but did not reliably distinguish K. parviflora from closely related congeners; the matK placement received 98% bootstrap support. In contrast, the nuclear ITS2-containing sequence matched K. parviflora at 100% identity, with a K2P distance of 0.0000 to the closest reference. The combined evidence therefore supports authentication of this Northwest Vietnamese accession as K. parviflora. The deposited sequences provide a voucher-backed molecular reference from Northwest Vietnam, while broader population sampling is required to assess intraspecific genetic and chemical variation.]]>
