Genetic relationships of eight species of genus Betula were evaluated using ISSR marks. A total of 236 loci were generated from 17 ISSR primers. Percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) varied from 5.93 to 19.92. The highest and the lowest level of genetic differentiation were detected in B. ovalifolia and B. maximowicziana Regel respectively. In these eight species, genetic diversity of birch (HT) was 24.38 %, and the genetic variation (GST ) interspecies was accounting for 79.36% of total genetic variation. According to the cluster results of genetic distance, the eight species were classified into three groups as B. davurica, B. ovalifolia, B. platyphylla and B. pendula for one group; B. schmidtii, B. costata and B. ermanii Cham. var. communis for one group, and B. maximowicziana Regel for another group. The result of cluster is consistent with traditional morphological classification.
