The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Litsea coreana var. lanuginosa (Lauraceae): genome structure and phylogenetic analysis

Litsea coreana var. lanuginose is a perennial, indeciduous, and broad-leaved tree used as an essential medicinal and edible plant. In addition, this species is well-known for its leaves are rich in aromatic oil. In this study, we firstly assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of L. coreana var. lanuginose using Illumina pair-end sequencing and performed a phylogenetic analysis with other 13 species in Lauraceae. The results revealed that its chloroplast genome was 152,859 bp in total length with 39% of GC content, containing a pair of inverted repeats of 20,084 bp (IRA and IRB), separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 93,795 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,896 bp. The plastid genome of L. coreana var. lanuginose encoded 125 genes, including 81 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA (tRNA), and eight ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The phylogenetic analysis suggested that L. coreana var. lanuginose was closely related to the clade of Litsea monopetala, Litsea garrettii, and Litsea elongate in Lauraceae family.