The complete chloroplast genome of Rhododendron calophytum Franch (Ericaceae)

Abstract

Rhododendron calophytum Franch is a famous ornamental plant, which belongs to the Rhododendron genus. Here, we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome and the cp genomic features of R. calophytum. The complete cp genome of R. calophytum is a double stranded, circular DNA with 200,196 bp in length and has an large single-copy (LSC) region of 108,602 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 2606 bp separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 44,494 bp each. Its 110 genes include four unique rRNAs, 29 tRNAs, and 77 protein-coding genes. Maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree reconstructed with 16 species complete cp sequences reveals that R. calophytum is closely related to R. platypodum. The complete cp genome of R. calophytum will be useful for further investigations and researches concerning this economically important plant.

Keywords

• rhododendron calophytum
• high-throughput sequencing
• chloroplast genome
• phylogenetic analysis
• ericaceae