Table 1 Locus names and GenBank accession nos, forward and reverse primer sequences, repeat size, optimal annealing temperatures (T,), PCR product size, number of alleles, and observed (Hg) and expected (Hy) heterozygosities of 86 adult trees for five microsatellite loci in Platypodium elegans each were screened. Putative microsatellites were screened a second time at a lower plaque density (~200 recombinant clones per plate). Clones picked in the second screen were amplified with M13 primers and products were purified with PCR purification columns (QIAGEN). previous selective events such as seed abortion. Abortion of fertilized ovules prior to seed maturation has been documented in large numbers of angiosperms, including many tree species (Bawa & Webb 1984). Despite the selective potential of seed abortion, studies of its consequences are often limited to species with inflorescences accessible for hand-pollination experiments or embryo rescue due to a lack of tissue needed for allozyme markers. Genetic markers amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provide an alternative to pollination studies and avoid the limitations of allozymes. PCR requires only minute amounts of DNA, making genetic analyses of embryos possible in species where a small amount of remaining tissue is recovered from aborted seeds.