Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Sphagneticola calendulacea (Asteraceae)

Sphagneticola calendulacea is a valuable medicinal herb. With the spread of a congeneric invasive species Sphagneticola trilobata in South China, the already vulnerable S. calendulacea populations are being threatened further by natural hybridization with the invading species. In this study, we assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of S. calendulacea as a resource for future studies on this species. The chloroplast genome was 151,748 bp in size, with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,270 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,348 bp, separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,065 bp each. A total of 134 genes were predicted. Phylogenetic analysis showed close relationship between S. calendulacea and Eclipta prostrata within the Heliantheae tribe.