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Primula comprises many species of horticultural value. In Korea, six species grow in the wild. Yamazaki classified the variety Primula modesta var. fauriei into P. modesta var. hannasanensis and P. modesta var. koreana based on the differences in leaf morphology. We compared the chloroplast genome sequences of the two Korean endemic Primula varieties and found that both had the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperms. The chloroplast genome size of P. modesta var. hannasanensis is 154,772 bp, including an 85,238 bp large single-copy region and a 17,790 bp small single-copy region, whereas that of P. modesta var. koreana is 154,667 bp, including an 85,152 bp large single-copy region and a 17,771 bp small single-copy region. The inverted repeat region is 25,872 bp in both varieties. We predicted 129 genes—84 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs. We identified 536 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 501 indels between the varieties. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two varieties formed a sister group in the clade P. knuthiana–P. stenocalyx. This study will contribute to phylogenetic, taxonomic, and evolutionary studies of the genus Primula; it will also contribute to the analysis of the genetic diversity of the two varieties, and to the development of identification markers.

Previous studies on the chloroplast genome in Clematis focused on the chloroplast structure within Anemoneae. The chloroplast genomes of Cleamtis were sequenced to provide information for studies on phylogeny and evolution. Two Korean endemic Clematis chloroplast genomes (Clematis brachyura and C. trichotoma) range from 159,170 to 159,532 bp, containing 134 identical genes. Comparing the coding and non-coding regions among 12 Clematis species revealed divergent sites, with carination occurring in the petD-rpoA region. Comparing other Clematis chloroplast genomes suggested that Clematis has two inversions (trnH-rps16 and rps4), reposition (trnL-ndhC), and inverted repeat (IR) region expansion. For phylogenetic analysis, 71 protein-coding genes were aligned from 36 Ranunculaceae chloroplast genomes. Anemoneae (Anemoclema, Pulsatilla, Anemone, and Clematis) clades were monophyletic and well-supported by the bootstrap value (100%). Based on 70 chloroplast protein-coding genes, we compared nonsynonymous (dN) and synonymous (dS) substitution rates among Clematis, Anemoneae (excluding Clematis), and other Ranunculaceae species. The average synonymoussubstitution rates (dS)of large single copy (LSC), small single copy (SSC), and IR genes in Anemoneae and Clematis were significantly higher than those of other Ranunculaceae species, but not the nonsynonymous substitution rates (dN). This study provides fundamental information on plastid genome evolution in the Ranunculaceae.