Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Hypericum petiolulatum (Hypericaceae)

Hypericum L. (Hypericaceae) is one of the best-selling herbal medicines in the world comprising ca. 500 species of herbs, shrubs, and small trees. Hypericum petiolulatum Hook. f. & Thomson ex Dyer is widely distributed in China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, India, Malaysia, and Bhutan and is used as a traditional herb to treat hemoptysis and inflammation. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of H. petiolulatum. The complete plastome of H. petiolulatum was 136,105 bp in length, with a large single copy region (LSC) of 93,709 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 11088 bp and two identical inverted repeats (IRs) of 15,654 bp. The overall GC content of the plastome was 37.0%, while GC contents of the LSC, SSC, and each IR were 35.5%, 31.0%, and 43.8%, respectively. In addition, 116 genes consisting of 76 protein-coding genes, six ribosomal RNA genes, and 34 transfer RNA genes were identified. A phylogenetic analysis of 14 taxa inferred based on cp genome sequences revealed a close relationship between H. petiolulatum and H. perforatum. The complete cp genome sequence of H. petiolulatum reported in this paper will facilitate population and phylogenomics studies of this medicinal plant group.