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Study reports complete chloroplast genome sequencing of a medicinal plant, implying new taxonomic insights.
Polygala fallax Hemsl. is a medicinally important shrub endemic to southern China. In this study, we report the complete sequencing, assembly, and comprehensive characterization of its chloroplast genome using next-generation sequencing technology. The assembled chloroplast genome spans 164,687 base pairs (bp) with an overall GC content of 36.9%, exhibiting the canonical quadripartite structure typical of angiosperms. This architecture comprises a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,352 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 8,283 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions, each 36,526 bp in length. Annotation revealed a total of 135 genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 38 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Comparative analyses across multiple Polygala chloroplast genomes identified seven highly variable regions—atpH-atpI, rps4-accD, ycf15-ycf1, ndhF-rpl32, rpl32-ccsA, ndhE-ndhG-ndhI, and ycf1-trnN—which represent promising molecular markers for species discrimination within the genus. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on chloroplast genome sequences revealed a close evolutionary relationship between P. fallax and P. arillata, supporting their placement within the same subgenus (Chamaebuxus). This study provides valuable genomic resources for future phylogenetic, taxonomic, and conservation studies of Polygala species.
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Huang et al. (2026) studied this question.
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