Phylogeny and evolution of Burmanniaceae (Dioscoreales) based on nuclear and mitochondrial data

The mycoheterotrophic Burmanniaceae are one of the three families currently recognized in the order Dioscoreales. Phylogenetic inference using nucleotide sequences of the nuclear 18S rDNA region and the mitochondrial nad1 b-c intron revealed two well-supported, major lineages within the family, corresponding to the two tribes recognized in the family: Burmannieae and Thismieae. All data supported a strong relationship between Thismieae and Tacca (Dioscoreaceae) making both Burmanniaceae and Dioscoreaceae polyphyletic. The three largest Burmanniaceae genera, Burmannia, Gymnosiphon, and Thismia, are paraphyletic. The splitting of Burmanniaceae into Burmannieae and Thismieae indicates two independent origins of mycoheterotrophy and correlated loss of chlorophyll in Dioscoreales. In the genus Burmannia, in which many species still contain chlorophyll, the achlorophyllous species are nested in between the autotrophic species, suggesting many independent changes from autotrophy to heterotrophy or vice versa. A Bayesian relative rates test on the 18S rDNA data showed considerable variation in substitution rates among Burmanniaceae. The substitution rates in all Thismieae and many Burmannieae are significantly faster than in Dioscoreaceae, but there seems to be no correlation between rate increases and the loss of photosynthesis.     

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of Magnolia kwangsiensis (Magnoliaceae): implication for DNA barcoding and population genetics

Here, we report a completely sequenced plastome using Illumina/Solexa sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) technology. The plastome of Magnolia kwangsiensis Figlar & Noot. is 159?667 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure: 88?030 bp large single-copy (LSC) and 18?669 bp small single-copy (SSC) regions, separated by two 26?484 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The overall predicted gene number is 129, among which 17 genes are duplicated in IR regions. The plastome of M. kwangsiensis is identical in its gene order to previously published plastomes of magnoliids. Furthermore, the C-to-U type RNA editing frequency of 114 seed plants is positively correlated with plastome GC content and plastome length, whereas plastome length is not correlated with GC content. A total of 16 potential putative barcoding or low taxonomic level phylogenetic study markers in Magnoliaceae were detected by comparing the coding and noncoding regions of the plastome of M. kwangsiensis with that of Liriodendron tulipifera L. At least eight markers might be applied not only to Magnoliaceae but also to other taxa. The 86 mononucleotide cpSSRs that distributed in single-copy noncoding regions are highly valuable to study population genetics and conservation genetics of this endangered rare species.     

Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Basal Asterid Ardisia polysticta Miq. and Comparative Analyses of Asterid Plastid Genomes

Ardisia is a basal asterid genus well known for its medicinal values and has the potential for development of novel phytopharmaceuticals. In this genus of nearly 500 species, many ornamental species are commonly grown worldwide and some have become invasive species that caused ecological problems. As there is no completed plastid genome (plastome) sequence in related taxa, we sequenced and characterized the plastome of Ardisia polysticta to find plastid markers of potential utility for phylogenetic analyses at low taxonomic levels. The complete A. polysticta plastome is 156,506 bp in length and has gene content and organization typical of most asterids and other angiosperms. We identified seven intergenic regions as potentially informative markers with resolution for interspecific relationships. Additionally, we characterized the diversity of asterid plastomes with respect to GC content, plastome organization, gene content, and repetitive sequences through comparative analyses. The results demonstrated that the genome organizations near the boundaries between inverted repeats (IRs) and single-copy regions (SCs) are polymorphic. The boundary organization found in Ardisia appears to be the most common type among asterids, while six other types are also found in various asterid lineages. In general, the repetitive sequences in genic regions tend to be more conserved, whereas those in noncoding regions are usually lineage-specific. Finally, we inferred the whole-plastome phylogeny with the available asterid sequences. With the improvement in taxon sampling of asterid orders and families, our result highlights the uncertainty of the position of Gentianales within euasterids I.     

The complete plastome of Panax stipuleanatus: Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of the genus Panax (Araliaceae)

Panax stipuleanatus (Araliaceae) is an endangered and medicinally important plant endemic to China. However, phylogenetic relationships within the genus Panax have remained unclear. In this study, we sequenced the complete plastome of P. stipuleanatus and included previously reported Panax plastomes to better understand the relationships between species and plastome evolution within the genus Panax. The plastome of P. stipuleanatus is 156,069 base pairs (bp) in length, consisting of a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, each 25,887 bp) that divide the plastome into a large single copy region (LSC, 86,126 bp) and a small single copy region (SSC, 8169 bp). The plastome contains 114 unigenes (80 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes). Comparative analyses indicated that the plastome gene content and order, as well as the expansion/contraction of the IR regions, are all highly conserved within Panax. No significant positive selection in the plastid protein-coding genes was observed across the eight Panax species, suggesting the Panax plastomes may have undergone a strong purifying selection. Our phylogenomic analyses resulted in a phylogeny with high resolution and supports for Panax. Nine proteincoding genes and 10 non-coding regions presented high sequence divergence, which could be useful for identifying different Panax species.     

Comparative plastome data analysis of Dendrosicyos socotranus and Corallocarpus boehmii

Comparison of the Dendrosicyos socotranus and Corallocarpus boehmii (tribe Coniandreae, family Cucurbitaceae) plastome data was of interest. Data on RNA, tRNA, GC%, plastome size, CDS and pseudogene were tabulated for the two species. The total length of 1,57,380 bp and 1,58,744 bp which includes LSC, SSC, IRa, and IRb, while their GC content was 37.1% and 37% respectively. The variation in the length of genes e.g. ndhD, ndhI, rpl22, rpoC2, rps16, rps19, rps8, ycf1and ycf2 noted. Data help to document the genetic differences between usual (climber) with those of tree cucurbits.     

A Preliminary Study on the Floristic Features of the Genus Burmannia in China

The genus Burmannaia is one of the largest genera in the Burmanniaceae, of which 12 species have been recorded in China. It is mainly a tropical genus. The species in China are all confined to the region south of Yangtze River. They are distributed chiefly in the provinces Guangdong (9 species) and Yunnan (6 species). After having studied the areas of all the species in China, we are able to classify them into following 4 area-types: 1. Area-type of Tropical Asia to Tropical Australia. The two non-saprophytic species (Burmannia disticha, B. caelestis) and one saprophytic (B. championii) belong to this area-type. It is an ancient type. The plants of this type mostly have a wide ecological amplitude, for example, B. disticha may be found in tropical and subtropical regions. The plants occur not only in evergreen forests, in bushs, but also in rather arid herbosa and on the side of streams (Fig. 2). 2. Area-type of Tropical SE Asia. In the type are 3 saprophytic species i.e. B. oblonga, B. wallichii and B. nepalensis. 3. Area-type of E. Asia. (Fig. 3) Burmannia in China with E. Asian distribution is poor in species. There are only 2 saprophytic species. B. cryptopetala is distri-buted in Haina (China), Kyushu and Honshu (Japan); B. itoana occurs in Taiwan (China), Riukiu and Kyushu (Japan). They are known only on the islands of E. Asia. Such a pattern of distribution may suggest connection of these islands once in the prehistoric time in spite of their present isolation. 4. Endemic area-type. (Fig. 4). Here are 3 saprophytic species and one variety with green leaves. B. nana occurs only in E. Taiwan. One of the two new species described by present author in this paper, B. fadouensis, is known from Xichou Xiao, S. E. Yunnan, to Longzhou Xian of the province Gaunxi; the other one, B. pingbienensis occurs only in Pinbien Xian of S. E. Yunnan. The last species is endemic to China. B. pusilla var. hongkongensis is non-saprophytic and known from the province Guangdong and its bordering islands. Both B. fadouensis and B. pingbienensis are characterized by the axillary bulbils, which enable them to adapt to rather arid and cold condi-tions in northern part of the tropical region.     

Molecular markers for phylogenetic applications derived from comparative plastome analysis of Prunus species

Interspecific and intergeneric relationships of Prunus s.l. are still unclear due to low levels of genetic variation among species, and resulting partially unresolved phylogenetic inferences. Here we sequenced and compared six complete plastomes from two subgenera of Prunus in order to choose molecular markers to increase the amount of genetic variation suitable for inference of Prunus phylogeny. The plastomes range between 157 817 and 158 995 bp in length, and we found different levels of inverted repeat (IR) contraction among the three sampled subgenera of Prunus s.l. Most regions in Prunus plastomes considered individually provide low phylogenetic resolution at the subgenus or species level compared to a tree constructed using all 78 coding regions combined. We compared levels of variation among 206 coding regions and noncoding (intergenic and intron) plastid regions and inferred phylogenies from each region considered individually. We then chose using two regions together for future studies of relationships in Prunus, ycf1 and trnT-L, that display high to moderate levels of variation among coding and intergenic regions, respectively, and that individually permit inference of resolved species-level trees in Prunus with moderate to strong branch support. Considered together, these two regions allow inference of the same topology of Prunus inferred using all coding plastid regions combined, with comparable levels of tree support to the full plastome set. These two loci should therefore be useful as a plastid phylogenetic marker set for further inference of relationships within Prunus s.l.     

The complete chloroplast genome of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum; Poaceae) and comparison of whole plastomes from the family Poaceae

In this paper, we describe the complete chloroplast genome of Lolium arundinaceum. This sequence is the culmination of a long-term project completed by >400 undergraduates who took general genetics at Middle Tennessee State University from 2004-2007. It was undertaken in an attempt to introduce these students to an open-ended experiential/exploratory lesson to produce and analyze novel data. The data they produced should provide the necessary information for both phylogenetic comparisons and plastome engineering of tall fescue. The fescue plastome (GenBank FJ466687) is 136048 bp with a typical quadripartite structure and a gene order similar to other grasses; 56% of the plastome is coding region comprised of 75 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNAs, four rRNAs, and one hypothetical coding region (ycf). Comparisons of Poaceae plastomes reveal size differences between the PACC (subfamilies Panicoideae, Arundinoideae, Centothecoideae, and Chloridoideae) and BOP (subfamilies Bambusoideae, Oryzoideae, and Pooideae) clades. Alignment analysis suggests that several potentially conserved large deletions in previously identified intergenic length polymorphic regions are responsible for the majority of the size discrepancy. Phylogenetic analysis using whole plastome data suggests that fescue closely aligns with Lolium perenne. Some unique features as well as phylogenetic branch length calculations, however, suggest that a number of changes have occurred since these species diverged.     

Plastid genome of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Seseli montanum</Emphasis>: Complete sequence and comparison with plastomes of other members of the Apiaceae family

This work reports the complete plastid (pt) DNA sequence of Seseli montanum L. of the Apiaceae family, determined using next-generation sequencing technology. The complete genome sequence has been deposited in GenBank with accession No. KM035851. The S. montanum plastome is 147,823 bp in length. The plastid genome has a typical structure for angiosperms and contains a large single-copy region (LSC) of 92,620 bp and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 17,481 bp separated by a pair of 18,861 bp inverted repeats (IRa and IRb). The composition, gene order, and AT-content in the S. montanum plastome are similar to that of a typical flowering plant pt DNA. One hundred fourteen unique genes have been identified, including 30 tRNA genes, four rRNA genes, and 80 protein genes. Of 18 intron-containing genes found, 16 genes have one intron, and two genes (ycf3, clpP) have two introns. Comparative analysis of Apiaceae plastomes reveals in the S. montanum plastome a LSC/IRb junction shift, so that the part of the ycf2 (4980 bp) gene is located in the LSC, but the other part of ycf2 (1301 bp) is within the inverted repeat. Thus, structural rearrangements in the plastid genome of S. montanum result in an enlargement of the LSC region by means of capture of a large part of ycf2, in contrast to eight Apiaceae plastomes where the complete ycf2 gene sequence is located in the inverted repeat.     

The chloroplast genome of mulberry: complete nucleotide sequence, gene organization and comparative analysis

The complete nucleotide sequence of mulberry (Morus indica cv. K2) chloroplast genome (158,484 bp) has been determined using a combination of long PCR and shotgun-based approaches. This is the third angiosperm tree species whose plastome sequence has been completely deciphered. The circular double-stranded molecule comprises of two identical inverted repeats (25,678 bp each) separating a large and a small single-copy region of 87,386 bp and 19,742 bp, respectively. A total of 83 protein-coding genes including five genes duplicated in the inverted repeat regions, eight ribosomal RNA genes and 37 tRNA genes (30 gene species) representing 20 amino acids, were assigned on the basis of homology to predicted genes from other chloroplast genomes. The mulberry plastome lacks the genes infA, sprA, and rpl21 and contains two pseudogenes ycf15 and ycf68. Comparative analysis, based on sequence similarity, both at the gene and genome level, indicates Morus to be closer to Cucumis and Lotus, phylogenetically. However, at genome level, inclusion of non-coding regions brings it closer to Eucalyptus, followed by Cucumis. This may reflect differential selection pressure operating on the genic and intergenic regions of the chloroplast genome.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.Communicated by Y. Tsumura     

The complete nucleotide sequences of the five genetically distinct plastid genomes of Oenothera, subsection Oenothera: I. sequence evaluation and plastome evolution

The flowering plant genus Oenothera is uniquely suited for studying molecular mechanisms of speciation. It assembles an intriguing combination of genetic features, including permanent translocation heterozygosity, biparental transmission of plastids, and a general interfertility of well-defined species. This allows an exchange of plastids and nuclei between species often resulting in plastome–genome incompatibility. For evaluation of its molecular determinants we present the complete nucleotide sequences of the five basic, genetically distinguishable plastid chromosomes of subsection Oenothera (=Euoenothera) of the genus, which are associated in distinct combinations with six basic genomes. Sizes of the chromosomes range from 163 365 bp (plastome IV) to 165 728 bp (plastome I), display between 96.3% and 98.6% sequence similarity and encode a total of 113 unique genes. Plastome diversification is caused by an abundance of nucleotide substitutions, small insertions, deletions and repetitions. The five plastomes deviate from the general ancestral design of plastid chromosomes of vascular plants by a subsection-specific 56 kb inversion within the large single-copy segment. This inversion disrupted operon structures and predates the divergence of the subsection presumably 1 My ago. Phylogenetic relationships suggest plastomes I–III in one clade, while plastome IV appears to be closest to the common ancestor.     

The first complete plastome sequence of the basal asterid family Styracaceae (Ericales) reveals a large inversion

Plastome sequences are rich sources of information for resolving difficult phylogenetic relationships and provide genomic data for conservation studies. Here, the complete plastome sequence of Alniphyllum eberhardtii Guillaumin is reported, representing the first plastome of the basal asterid family Styracaceae (Ericales). The plastome is 155,384 bp in length and contains 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes, totaling 113 unique genes with 19 genes in the inverted repeat region. Unusual features of the plastome include the presence a large 20-kb inversion in the Large Single-Copy region, the pseudogenization of the accD gene, and the loss of the second intron from clpP. The 20-kb inversion includes 14 genes and has not been previously reported in other Ericales plastomes. Thirty-nine plastid simple sequence repeats (SSRs) that may provide genetic resources for the conservation of this economically import timber plant are characterized. Phylogenetic results inferred from ML and MP analyses of 66 plastid genes and 26 taxa reveal that the Styracaceae are sister to a clade including Actinidiaceae and Ericaceae and suggest that complete plastomes are likely to be very helpful in resolving the basal relationships among Ericales families, which have resisted resolution in smaller phylogenetic data sets.     

Complete chloroplast genome sequences of Dipterygium glaucum and Cleome chrysantha and other Cleomaceae Species,comparative analysis and phylogenetic relationships

This current study presents, for the first time, the complete chloroplast genome of two Cleomaceae species: Dipterygium glaucum and Cleome chrysantha in order to evaluate the evolutionary relationship. The cp genome is 158,576 bp in length with 35.74% GC content in D. glaucum and 158,111 bp with 35.96% GC in C. chrysantha. Inverted repeats IR 26,209 bp, 26,251 bp each, LSC of 87,738 bp, 87,184 bp and SSC of 18,420 bp, 18,425 bp respectively. There are 136 genes in the genome, which includes 80 protein coding genes, 31 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes were observed in both chloroplast genomes. 117 genes are unique while the remaining 19 genes are duplicated in IR regions. The analysis of repeats shows that the cp genome includes all types of repeats with more frequent occurrences of palindromic; Also, this analysis indicates that the total number of simple sequence repeats (SSR) were 323 in D. glaucum, and 313 in C. chrysantha, of which the majority of the SSRs in these plastid genomes were mononucleotide repeats A/T which are located in the intergenic spacer. Moreover, the comparative analysis of the four cp sequences revealed four hotspot genes (atpF, rpoC2, rps19, and ycf1), these variable regions could be used as molecular makers for the species authentication as well as resources for inferring phylogenetic relationships of the species. All the relationships in the phylogenetic tree are with high support, this indicate that the complete chloroplast genome is a useful data for inferring phylogenetic relationship within the Cleomaceae and other families. The simple sequence repeats identified will be useful for identification, genetic diversity, and other evolutionary studies of the species. This study reported the first cp genome of the genus Dipterygium and Cleome. The finding of this study will be beneficial for biological disciplines such as evolutionary and genetic diversity studies of the species within the core Cleomaceae.     

Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Poisonous and Medicinal Plant Datura stramonium: Organizations and Implications for Genetic Engineering

Datura stramonium is a widely used poisonous plant with great medicinal and economic value. Its chloroplast (cp) genome is 155,871 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure of the large (LSC, 86,302 bp) and small (SSC, 18,367 bp) single-copy regions, separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 25,601 bp). The genome contains 113 unique genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNAs and four rRNAs. A total of 11 forward, 9 palindromic and 13 tandem repeats were detected in the D. stramonium cp genome. Most simple sequence repeats (SSR) are AT-rich and are less abundant in coding regions than in non-coding regions. Both SSRs and GC content were unevenly distributed in the entire cp genome. All preferred synonymous codons were found to use A/T ending codons. The difference in GC contents of entire genomes and of the three-codon positions suggests that the D. stramonium cp genome might possess different genomic organization, in part due to different mutational pressures. The five most divergent coding regions and four non-coding regions (trnH-psbA, rps4-trnS, ndhD-ccsA, and ndhI-ndhG) were identified using whole plastome alignment, which can be used to develop molecular markers for phylogenetics and barcoding studies within the Solanaceae. Phylogenetic analysis based on 68 protein-coding genes supported Datura as a sister to Solanum. This study provides valuable information for phylogenetic and cp genetic engineering studies of this poisonous and medicinal plant.     

Passiflora plastome sequencing reveals widespread genomic rearrangements

Although past studies have included Passiflora among angiosperm lineages with highly rearranged plastid genomes (plastomes), knowledge about plastome organization in the genus is limited. So far only one draft and one complete plastome have been published. Expanded sampling of Passiflora plastomes is needed to understand the extent of the genomic rearrangement in the genus, which is also unusual in having biparental plastid inheritance and plastome‐genome incompatibility. We sequenced 15 Passiflora plastomes using either Illumina paired‐end or shotgun cloning and Sanger sequencing approaches. Assembled plastomes were annotated using Dual Organellar GenoMe Annotator (DOGMA) and tRNAscan‐SE. The Populus trichocarpa plastome was used as a reference to estimate genomic rearrangements in Passiflora by performing whole genome alignment in progressiveMauve. The phylogenetic distribution of rearrangements was plotted on the maximum likelihood tree generated from 64 plastid encoded protein genes. Inverted repeat (IR) expansion/contraction and loss of the two largest hypothetical open reading frames, ycf1 and ycf2, account for most plastome size variation, which ranges from 139 262 base pairs (bp) in P. biflora to 161 494 bp in P. pittieri. Passiflora plastomes have experienced numerous inversions, gene and intron losses along with multiple independent IR expansions and contractions resulting in a distinct organization in each of the three subgenera examined. Each Passiflora subgenus has a unique plastome structure in terms of gene content, order and size. The phylogenetic distribution of rearrangements shows that Passiflora has experienced widespread genomic changes, suggesting that such events may not be reliable phylogenetic markers.     

New taxa of tribe Gastrodieae (Epidendroideae,Orchidaceae) from Yunnan,China and its conservation implication

Gastrodia longistyla, a new species of Orchidaceae from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to Gastrodia peichatieniana, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by having a rhombic epichile, long column (6.0–7.5 mm long), and a needle-shaped appendage (1.8–3.2 mm in length) at the base of the stigma. Identification key and colour photographs are provided. A preliminary risk-of-extinction assessment, according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, is given for the new species. The plastome of G. longistyla is 30464 bp in length with GC content approximately 24.8%, and the plastome does not contain some housekeeping genes, such as matK, rpl16, or all photosynthesis genes. In addition, the G. longistyla plastome lacks an IR region. This indicates that the plastome is in the last stage of degradation.     

A comparative analysis of complete plastid genomes from Prangos fedtschenkoi and Prangos lipskyi (Apiaceae)

Prangos fedtschenkoi (Regel & Schmalh.) Korovin and P. lipskyi Korovin (Apiaceae) are rare plant species endemic to mountainous regions of Middle Asia. Both are edificators of biotic communities and valuable resource plants. The results of recent phylogenetic analyses place them in Prangos subgen. Koelzella (M. Hiroe) Lyskov & Pimenov and suggest they may possibly represent sister species. To aid in development of molecular markers useful for intraspecific phylogeographic and population‐level genetic studies of these ecologically and economically important plants, we determined their complete plastid genome sequences and compared the results obtained to several previously published plastomes of Apiaceae. The plastomes of P. fedtschenkoi and P. lipskyi are typical of Apiaceae and most other higher plant plastid DNAs in their sizes (153,626 and 154,143 bp, respectively), structural organization, gene arrangement, and gene content (with 113 unique genes). A total of 49 and 48 short sequence repeat (SSR) loci of 10 bp or longer were detected in P. fedtschenkoi and P. lipskyi plastomes, respectively, representing 42–43 mononucleotides and 6 AT dinucleotides. Seven tandem repeats of 30 bp or longer with a sequence identity ≥90% were identified in each plastome. Further comparisons revealed 319 polymorphic sites between the plastomes (IR, 21; LSC, 234; SSC, 64), representing 43.8% transitions (Ts), 56.1% transversions (Tv), and a Ts/Tv ratio of 0.78. Within genic regions, two indel events were observed in rpoA (6 and 51 bp) and ycf1 (3 and 12 bp), and one in ndhF (6 bp). The most variable intergenic spacer region was that of accD/psaI, with 21.1% nucleotide divergence. Each Prangos species possessed one of two separate inversions (either 5 bp in ndhB intron or 9 bp in petB intron), and these were predicted to form hairpin structures with flanking repeat sequences of 18 and 19 bp, respectively. Both species have also incorporated novel DNA in the LSC region adjacent to the LSC/IRa junction, and BLAST searches revealed it had a 100 bp match (86% sequence identity) to noncoding mitochondrial DNA. Prangos‐specific primers were developed for the variable accD/psaI intergenic spacer and preliminary PCR‐surveys suggest that this region will be useful for future phylogeographic and population‐level studies.     

The Complete Plastid Genome of Lagerstroemia fauriei and Loss of rpl2 Intron from Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae)

Lagerstroemia (crape myrtle) is an important plant genus used in ornamental horticulture in temperate regions worldwide. As such, numerous hybrids have been developed. However, DNA sequence resources and genome information for Lagerstroemia are limited, hindering evolutionary inferences regarding interspecific relationships. We report the complete plastid genome of Lagerstroemia fauriei. To our knowledge, this is the first reported whole plastid genome within Lythraceae. This genome is 152,440 bp in length with 38% GC content and consists of two single-copy regions separated by a pair of 25,793 bp inverted repeats. The large single copy and the small single copy regions span 83,921 bp and 16,933 bp, respectively. The genome contains 129 genes, including 17 located in each inverted repeat. Phylogenetic analysis of genera sampled from Geraniaceae, Myrtaceae, and Onagraceae corroborated the sister relationship between Lythraceae and Onagraceae. The plastid genomes of L. fauriei and several other Lythraceae species lack the rpl2 intron, which indicating an early loss of this intron within the Lythraceae lineage. The plastid genome of L. fauriei provides a much needed genetic resource for further phylogenetic research in Lagerstroemia and Lythraceae. Highly variable markers were identified for application in phylogenetic, barcoding and conservation genetic applications.     

Plastome data analysis of Cucumis melo subsp.agrestis

It is of interest to refine the taxonomic status of C. melo ssp. agrestis using its plastome data. The chloroplast size and GC% was found to be 1,56,016 bp and 36.92% respectively in Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis. The plastome of C. melo subsp. agrestis comprises of two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,797 bp each. It consisted of 133 genes with 88 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes and 37 tRNA genes. Analysis of the C. melo ssp. agrestis plastome data will help breeders to improve the yield the crop.