Complete chloroplast genome of the Korean endemic plant Semiaquilegia quelpaertensis (Isopyreae, Ranunculaceae) and phylogenetic analysis
We sequenced the chloroplast genome of Semiaquilegia quelpaertensis D.C.Son &amp; K.H.Lee, a Korean endemic species belonging to the Ranunculaceae, and analyzed its phylogenetic relationships with related taxa. The chloroplast genome of this species exhibited a typical quadripartite structure with a total length of 162,312 bp, consisting of a large single-copy region of 91,355 bp, a small single-copy region of 17,331 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,813 bp each. The overall GC content was 41.7%. A total of 128 genes were identified in the chloroplast genome, including 82 protein-coding genes (CDSs), 38 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. Among these genes, both copies of the clpP1 gene lacked introns, whereas one copy of the rps16 gene was identified as a pseudogene. The infA gene was also confirmed as a pseudogene. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using 77 protein-coding genes extracted from 48 taxa, including S. quelpaertensis and its related species. The results indicated that S. quelpaertensis forms a sister relationship with S. adoxoides. The findings of this study are expected to provide fundamental data for understanding habitat-driven speciation and evolutionary relationships within the genus Semiaquilegia, as well as for conservation studies of rare endemic plants.