The complete chloroplast genome and phylogenetic analysis of Begonia pulchrifolia, a near endangered Begoniaceae plant

Abstract

Begonia pulchrifolia is a perennial herb of the genus Begonia and is a near endangered species. Traditional morphological delimitation of B. pulchrifolia is sometimes confused with similar species; therefore, further systematic classification is urgently needed. To enrich the genetic information and guide its molecular identification, the complete chloroplast genome of B. pulchrifolia was sequenced and illustrated. The complete chloroplast genome has a total length of 169,589 bp, containing a large single-copy (LSC, 76,057 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,320 bp) separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IRS, 37,606 bp) regions. The overall GC content is 35.56%. A total of 142 genes were annotated, including 91 protein coding genes, 8 rRNA genes and 43 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that B. pulchrifolia is more closely related to Momordica charantia and Gomphogyne cissiformis. This study enriches the genetic information of B. pulchrifolia and contributes to its accurate molecular identification.