The complete chloroplast genome sequence and phylogenetic position of Lilaeopsis chinensis (L.) Kuntze (Apiaceae)

Lilaeopsis chinensis (L.) Kuntze is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant for treating diuresis, abdominal pain and eczema. In this study, its complete chloroplast genome was assembled from the whole genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome is 153,162 bp long, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs, 25,072 bp each), a large single-copy region (LSC, 84,288 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,730 bp). It encodes a total of 113 genes (79 protein-coding, 30 tRNA and 4 rRNA genes), with 19 of them occurring in double copies. Introns were detected in 11 protein coding genes (PCG) and 6 tRNA genes. The nucleotide composition is asymmetric (30.9% A, 19.2% C, 18.4% G and 31.5% T) with an overall A + T content of 62.4%. Phylogenetic analysis challenged the traditional taxonomic framework of the family Apiaceae, and indicated that Lilaeopsis chinensis (L.) Kuntze is closely related to Hydrocotyle verticillata.