Complete plastid genome sequence of Neolitsea aciculata (Laurales: Lauraceae), an evergreen broad-leaved tree endemic to East Asia

Abstract

In this study, we sequenced the complete plastid genome (plastome) of Neolitsea aciculata, an evergreen broad-leaved tree endemic to East Asia, a woody component of East Asian warm-temperate and subtropical forests across China, Korea, and Japan. The plastome of N. aciculata is assembled as a single contig (152,722 bp). A large and a small single copy (93,785 and 18,795 bp, respectively) of the genome are separated by a pair of inverted repeats (20,071 bp). The genome consists of 126 genes, including 80 protein-coding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 36 transfer RNA genes. Two genes in the IR region (ycf1 and ycf2) are pseudogenized. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed the phylogenetic position of N. aciculata in a highly supported clade of the genus Neolitsea along with other two congeners, N. pallens and N. sericea.

Keywords

• chloroplast
• lauraceae
• neolitsea aciculata
• phylogenetic analysis
• pseudogene