The present study aimed to evaluate the genetic divergence among individuals from four Pfaffia glomerata populations collected in the region of Paraná River, Brazil, based on the study of morphological characters associated with β-ecdysone production. The divergence among 64 individuals was estimated using 14 quantitative morphological characters, including -ecdysone content. Data were evaluated considering general mean of the characters, Mahalanobis dissimilarity index, UPGMA grouping method, and Pearson correlation. Results indicated higher divergence among individuals from different populations and lower divergence among those from the same population. Individuals from population 1, collected at the shore of Ivaí River, had high β-ecdysone content, with predominance of the following profile, compared to the general mean: lower root dry matter (135.1 g plant-1); earlier anthesis (135.8 days); smaller number of days to senescence of 90% of the leaves (201.4 days); and longer interval between anthesis and senescence (65.6 days). The evaluated characters significantly varied among individuals; nevertheless, the correlation between β-ecdysone production and the evaluated morphological characters could not be evidenced.
Pfaffia glomerata; germplasm; medicinal plants; β-ecdysone
