Complete chloroplast genome sequence of Semiliquidambar cathayensis (hamamelidaceae), a rare and endangered species endemic to China

Semiliquidambar cathayensis (Hamamelidaceae) is a rare and endangered species endemic to China. Here, we first report and characterize the complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. cathayensis based on Illumina paired-end sequencing data. The complete plastid genome was 160,406 bp in length, which contained two inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,282 bp separated by a large single-copy (LSC) and a small single copy (SSC) of 88,920 bp and 18,922 bp, respectively. The cpDNA contains 132 genes, comprising 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and one processed pseudogene. The overall GC content of the plastome is 37.9%. The phylogenetic analysis of 20 selected chloroplast genomes demonstrated that S. cathayensis was close to the species Liquidambar formosana.