Characterize the complete chloroplast genome of Lagerstroemia floribunda (Lythraceae), a narrow endemic crape myrtle native to Southeast Asia

Abstract

Lagerstroemia floribunda, commonly known as Thai crape myrtle or kedah bungor, is a species of flowering plant in the Lythraceae family native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia. The complete chloroplast genome of L. floribunda is described in this study. The length of the chloroplast genome was 152,240 bp. The genome consisted of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,967 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 33,191 bp and two inverted repeats (IRs) of 17,541 bp, which divide the LSC and SSC regions. This genome contained 112 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA genes and four ribosomal RNA genes. Among these genes, 82 were located in the LSC region (22 tRNA genes and 60 protein-coding genes), 13 in the SSC region (one tRNA gene and 12 protein-coding genes), and 17 in both IR regions (7 tRNA genes, six coding genes and four rRNA genes). Sixteen genes had introns, including three protein-coding genes with two introns each (clpP, rps12 and ycf3), eight protein-coding genes with a single intron each (atpF, ndhA, ndhB, petB, petD, rpl16, rpoC1 and rps16), and five tRNA genes with a single intron each (trnA-GUC, trnG-UCC, trnI-GAU, trnK-UUU, trnL-UAA and trnV-UAC). A neighbour-joining tree was reconstructed to indicate relationships among taxa within Myrtales. The newly sequenced complete chloroplast genome of L. floribunda will improve our knowledge of the Lagerstroemia chloroplast and potentially aid conservation efforts for this species.