The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Paphiopedilum henryanum (Orchidaceae)

Paphiopedilum henryanum Braem 1987 is a critically Endangered terrestrial orchid mainly occurred around the southern China and northern Vietnamese borders. Recently, the population size of this species has been sharply declined due to many threats such as climate change, habitat loss, and narrow distribution. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of P. henryanum was determined from Illumina pair-end sequencing data. The chloroplast genome was 155,886 bp in length, including a large single copy region (LSC) of 87,573 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 2,831 bp, and a pair of inverted repeated regions (IRa and IRb) of 32,741 bp each. The chloroplast genome contained 121 genes corresponding to 76 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, respectively. The results of phylogenetic analysis indicated that P. henryanum was closely related to P. violascens and P. venustum in the genus Paphiopedilum based on sixteen whole chloroplast genome sequences. The results would provide a valuable resource for future genetic studies of Paphiopedilum.