Complete plastid genome of Rhododendron griersonianum, a critically endangered plant with extremely small populations (PSESP) from southwest China

Abstract

The complete plastid genome of Rhododendron griersonianum, a critically endangered plant species with extremely small populations, was obtained using Illumina HiSeq X Ten and ONT PromethION sequencing. The full length of the plastid genome is 206,467 bp with an overall GC content of 35.8%, which encodes 118 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all Rhododendron species formed a monophyletic clade. This study provides a valuable reference and will facilitate future studies related to the general characteristics and evolution of plastid genomes in the genus Rhododendron.

Keywords:

• Rhododendron griersonianum
• PSESP
• Plastid
• Phylogeny

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are also accessible in figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12616781

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Project of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China [Grant NO. 2019HJ2096001006], the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Chinese Academy of Sciences [Grant NO. 2018428] and the Reserve Talents for Academic and Technical Leaders of Middle-aged and Young People in Yunnan Province [Grant NO. 2018HB066]. Thanks are also given to Rengang Zhang for his help in assembling.