Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of the Taiwan alder Alnus formosana (Betulaceae) based on next-generation sequencing technology

Alnus formosana (Betulaceae) is an important ecological and economic deciduous tree species widely distributed throughout subtropical regions of Taiwan province, China. At the present study, the complete chloroplast genome of A. formosana was assumbled using next-generation sequencing technology. The complete chloroplast sequence is 161,029 bp in length, which consisted of a large single copy (LSC, 89,720 bp) and a small single copy (SSC; 19,205 bp) separated a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 26,052 bp). The overall guanine-cytosine (GC) content was 36.4%. A total of 131 genes were annotated, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, eight rRNAs and one pseudogene (ψycf1). The phylogenetic analysis fully resolved A. formosana in a clade with A. japonica. The plastome of A. formosana will provide informative genomic resources for further phylogenetic application and genetic improvement.