ISSRs indicate that Chromolaena odorata invading southern Africa originates in Jamaica or Cuba

•Two distinct invasive biotypes of C. odorata exist.•The biotypes are genetically distinct and probably originated from separate introductions.•The southern African biotype was introduced from Jamaica or Cuba.

Two biotypes of the invasive alien plant, Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King & Rob. (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae), are recognized in the plant’s introduced distribution. The Asian/West African (A/WA) biotype is present in West and Central Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Oceania, while the southern African (SA) biotype is only present in southern Africa. Biological control using insect natural enemies has been significantly more successful against the A/WA biotype than the SA biotype, suggesting that host plant incompatibility may have resulted in reduced efficacy of biological control agents in southern Africa. Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) were used to identify the origin of the SA biotype as Jamaica or Cuba. The data also confirm that the SA biotype is genetically distinct from the A/WA biotype and that the SA biotype is the result of a separate introduction. Biological control agents for C. odorata in southern Africa should be sourced from Jamaica and Cuba in order to avoid host plant incompatibility problems.

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