The Complete Chloroplast Genome of Camellia tianeensis (Camellia L.) and Phylogenetic Relationships with Other Plants of the Genus Camellia

Section Chrysantha plants are the only camellias with golden yellow flower petals. In this study, the complete genome of the chloroplast of Camellia tianeensis was determined. The results showed that the complete chloroplast genome of C. tianeensis was 156,865 bp in length; had a typical tetrameric structure; and had a large copy region (LSC), a small copy region (SSC), and two inverted repetitive regions (IRs) with lengths of 86,579 bp, 18,236 bp, and 26,025 bp, respectively. A total of 164 genes were identified, containing 111 protein-coding genes, 45 tRNAs, and 8 rRNA genes; the total GC content was 37.32%, including 35.33% of the LSC, 30.59% of the SSC, and 42.99% of the IRs. There were 69 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in C. tianeensis, with the number of single nucleic acid repeats being significantly greater than the number of other repeat types. There were 38 dispersed repeats categorized into three types, and no complement (C) repeats were found; The phylogenetic tree supports that C. tianeensis is a constituent member of sect. Chrysantha. Therefore, the results not only enrich the sect. Chrysantha molecular database, but also provide a framework for future studies on the evolution and taxonomic revision of the sect. Chrysantha.