The complete chloroplast genome of an endangered orchid Paphiopedilum spicerianum

Paphiopedilum spicerianum (H. G. Reichenbach) Pfitzer is an endangered and threatened orchid species in China. The genetic and molecular data of this orchid species is deficient. With the aim to identify appropriate chloroplast markers for the use in a conservation biology study, the complete chloroplast genome of P. spicerianum was reported. We found that the chloroplast genome of P. spicerianum is 157,292 bp in length, containing a large single-copy region of 87,252 bp, a small single-copy region of 1828 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats of 34,106 bp. Genome annotation predicted 105 unique genes, including 71 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNAs, and four rRNAs. Fourteen genes contained one intron and two genes (clpP and ycf3) had two introns. The GC content of the P. spicerianum was 35.8%. Phylogenetic analysis indicated P. spicerianum was closely related to P. purpuratum.