Abstract: The genetic diversity and population differentiation of Parashorea chinensis, a rare and endangered dipterocarp, and listed in the Plant Red Book under Grade I, were examined using allozyme analysis of horizontal sliceable starch gel electrophoresis. Considering its narrow distribution, which was limited in the South & Southeast of Yunnan and Southwest of Guangxi, allozyme data for 16 loci of 11 enzymes in 9 natural population (as a comparison, two cultivated populations in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden were analyzed) indicated extremely low level of genetic variability in these eleven populations with the proportion of polymorphic loci(P) ranging from 6.25% to 12.5%(mean 6.82%).

Key words: Parashorea chinensis