The complete chloroplast genome of Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz (Lecythidaceae)

Genomic resources for Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz, a pantropical beach forest species native to the Philippines, have not been published to date, despite its medicinal importance and potential for biomedical applications. In this study, we assembled and characterized the first complete chloroplast genome of B. asiatica using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. It displayed a typical quadripartite structure with a sequence length of 158,794 bp, comprised of a large single copy of 88,196 bp, small single-copy of 18,448 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,075 bp each. The cp genome contained 35 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes, and 86 protein-coding genes with an overall GC content of 36.8%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close evolutionary relationship between B. racemosa and B. fusicarpa, forming a monophyletic group with B. asiatica with high bootstrap support, thereby enhancing our understanding of the phylogeny, systematics, and genetics of Asian Lecythidaceae species.