The complete chloroplast genome ofCinnamomum camphoraand its comparison with relatedLauraceaespecies

Cinnamomum camphora, a member of theLauraceaefamily, is a valuable aromatic and timber tree that is indigenous to the south of China and Japan. All parts ofCinnamomum camphorahave secretory cells containing different volatile chemical compounds that are utilized as herbal medicines and essential oils. Here, we reported the complete sequencing of the chloroplast genome ofCinnamomum camphorausing illumina technology. The chloroplast genome ofCinnamomum camphorais 152,570 bp in length and characterized by a relatively conserved quadripartite structure containing a large single copy region of 93,705 bp, a small single copy region of 19,093 bp and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 19,886 bp. Overall, the genome contained 123 coding regions, of which 15 were repeated in the IR regions. An analysis of chloroplast sequence divergence revealed that the small single copy region was highly variable among the different genera in theLauraceaefamily. A total of 40 repeat structures and 83 simple sequence repeats were detected in both the coding and non-coding regions. A phylogenetic analysis indicated thatCalycanthusis most closely related toLauraceae, both being members ofLaurales, which forms a sister group toMagnoliids. The complete sequence of the chloroplast ofCinnamomum camphorawill aid in in-depth taxonomical studies of theLauraceaefamily in the future. The genetic sequence information will also have valuable applications for chloroplast genetic engineering.