Complete chloroplast genome sequence of an endangered plant Oreocharis cotinifolia (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi, China

Oreocharis cotinifolia is a plant herb with a small population and narrow distribution range in southeast China. It is listed as one of the class 1 key protected wild plants in China and designated as a critically endangered species. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast genome of O. cotinifolia using data from high-throughput Illumina sequencing. The cp genome is 153,577 bp in length and includes two inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,292 bp, separated by a large single-copy region (LSC) and a small single-copy region (SSC) that are 84,898 bp and 18,095 bp, respectively. The GC content is 37.42%. The genome encodes 128 functional genes, including 87 protein-coding, 37 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes. Maximum likelihood analysis showed that O. cotinifolia is closely related to the congeneric O. mileensis. The complete chloroplast genome will contribute to further studies on phylogeny and conservation of O. cotinifolia and related taxa in Oreocharis of Gesneriaceae.