The complete chloroplast genome of Zabelia dielsii (Graebn.) Rehd. (Caprifoliaceae), an important horticultural plant in China

The genus Zabelia R. Br. has been an important horticultural plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. However, due to the lack of efficient molecular markers and conservation efforts in recent decades, accompanied with deforestation, the germplasm resources are under severe threat, yet the systematic position of Zabelia is not clearly understood. In the present study, we analyzed the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Zabelia dielsii (Graebn.) Rehd., which represents the first reported case of Zabelia. It was 155,584 bp in length, comprising a pair of 23,434 bp inverted repeat regions (IRs) separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region (89,521 bp) and a small single-copy (SSC) region (19,062 bp). Phylogenetic analysis supported the monophyly of Caprifoliaceae and suggested that Z. dielsii was closely related to Kolkwitzia amabilis and Dipelta floribunda. This complete chloroplast genome will contribute to further studies on population genetics, phylogeny, and conservation biology in Zabelia.