Zanthoxylum armatum DC. (Family Rutaceae) is an important species gaining tremendous popularity owing to its multiple uses in diverse medicine systems. The species is harvested from the wild to meet the demand for pharmaceutical and domestic purposes. However, overexploitation of Z. armatum has imposed severe pressure on this species in its natural habitat. Therefore, there is an urgent need of conservation and sustainable utilization of this species. In the present study, population level admixture and genetic variations among 100 individuals collected from 19 distant populations of Z. armatum was investigated using random amplified polymorphic DNA and Inter simple sequence repeats markers. At population level, low genetic diversity (He = 0.298 and 0.346 respectively) was recorded as compared to species level by using both type of markers. Analysis of molecular variance exhibited low among population differences (14 and 11%, respectively) and high intra population variations. The study revealed high genetic differentiation and small gene flow in Z. armatum. Based on the genetic data obtained from this study, we recommend diverse approaches for conservation to efficiently manage this endangered species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on genetic diversity and population genetic structure of Z. armatum from Uttarakhand, a Western Himalayan state of India.

花椒DC。芸香科（芸香科）是一种重要的物种，由于其在多种医学系统中的多种用途而广受欢迎。该物种是从野外收获的，以满足制药和家庭用途的需求。然而，对Z. armatum的过度开发已经对该物种的自然栖息地施加了严重的压力。因此，迫切需要保护和可持续利用该物种。在本研究中，从 19 个遥远的Z. armatum种群中收集的 100 个个体的种群水平混合和遗传变异使用随机扩增的多态性 DNA 和间简单序列重复标记进行了研究。在种群水平上，通过使用两种类型的标记，与物种水平相比，记录的遗传多样性较低（分别为 He = 0.298 和 0.346）。分子方差分析在群体差异（分别为 14% 和 11%）和群体内差异中表现出低水平。该研究揭示了Z. armatum的高遗传分化和小基因流。根据从这项研究中获得的遗传数据，我们建议采用多种保护方法来有效管理这种濒临灭绝的物种。据我们所知，这是第一份关于Z. armatum遗传多样性和种群遗传结构的报告 来自印度西喜马拉雅的北阿坎德邦。