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Many species of Salvia have excellent ornamental, culinary, and medicinal values. Salvia daiguii, is an ornamental and highly medicinal perennial herb endemic to the prefecture‐level city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, China, with a narrow geographical distribution. However, currently, it has only been assessed as a Critically Endangered species according to the IUCN classification criteria, but its conservation has not yet been studied. This study investigated the distribution and niche characteristics of S. daiguii, and compared the differences in growth, flowering characteristics, and soil nutrients between the wild and ex situ populations. We also analyzed the effects of soil nutrients on plant growth and flowering characteristics. During the survey, we found 274 individuals on a rock approximately 200 m from ZEFR1. Nevertheless, S. daiguii were still restricted in three populations, TNFP, TGM, and ZEFR in Zhangjiajie City, with a total of about 500 plants and less than 250 mature individuals. Our results show that aspects such as adverse environmental conditions, low seedling renewal rate, a lack of soil nutrients, and competition for the characteristic niche of this and other dominant plants in the natural community are the main ecological factors affecting the growth, flowering, and geographic distribution of S. daiguii. Based on the results of field surveys, we recommend that (1) S. daiguii be classified as Critically Endangered C2b and China's List of Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations. (2) Comprehensive conservation strategies were developed, such as the establishment of nature reserves, reintroduction, public education, and institutional development to provide management recommendations related to the conservation of S. daiguii and other endangered plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese flora occupies a unique position in global plant diversity, but is severely threatened. Although biodiversity conservation in China has made significant progress over the past decades, many wild plant species have extremely small population sizes and therefore are in extreme danger of extinction. The concept of plant species with extremely small populations (PSESPs), recently adopted and widely accepted in China, lacks a detailed description of the methodology appropriate for conserving PSESPs. Strategies for seed sampling, reintroduction, protecting PSESP locations, managing interactions with the local human population, and other conservation aspects can substantially differ from those commonly applied to non-PSESPs. The present review is an attempt to provide a detailed conservation methodology with realistic and easy-to-follow guidelines for PSESPs in China.

The complete plastid genome of Rhododendron griersonianum, a critically endangered plant species with extremely small populations, was obtained using Illumina HiSeq X Ten and ONT PromethION sequencing. The full length of the plastid genome is 206,467 bp with an overall GC content of 35.8%, which encodes 118 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all Rhododendron species formed a monophyletic clade. This study provides a valuable reference and will facilitate future studies related to the general characteristics and evolution of plastid genomes in the genus Rhododendron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations, PSESP, is a conservation concept developed in China aimed at rescuing most threatened plant species of China. The PSESP conservation program was first implemented in Yunnan Province in 2005. Here, we review the development and importance of this concept. Current progress based on the Implementation Plan of Rescuing and Conserving China's PSESP (2011–2015) is highlighted. 120 species were targeted for priority conservation under this program. Based on the PSESP guidelines, several key national and provincial projects supporting practical conservation and research in conservation biology were initiated. While a number of conservation objectives were achieved, unexpected challenges have hindered the fulfillment of five goals that the Plan expected to accomplish by 2015. We provide examples of a successful methodology and the factors supporting these techniques, as well as describe the gaps between scientific research and conservation practices. Finally, we emphasize how interdisciplinary conservation efforts involving multi-stakeholder coalitions with representatives from research institutes, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and local communities should be encouraged to achieve successful PSESP conservation. While this review seeks to facilitate China's tremendous plant conservation efforts to help overcome existing and be prepared for future challenges, the PSESP approach could be valuable in other countries for the preservation of threatened plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Acer yangbiense is a newly described critically endangered endemic maple tree confined to Yangbi County in Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was included in a programme for rescuing the most threatened species in China, focusing on "plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP)". Findings We generated 64, 94, and 110 Gb of raw DNA sequences and obtained a chromosome-level genome assembly of A. yangbiense through a combination of Pacific Biosciences Single-molecule Real-time, Illumina HiSeq X, and Hi-C mapping, respectively. The final genome assembly is ∼666 Mb, with 13 chromosomes covering ∼97% of the genome and scaffold N50 sizes of 45 Mb. Further, BUSCO analysis recovered 95.5% complete BUSCO genes. The total number of repetitive elements account for 68.0% of the A. yangbiense genome. Genome annotation generated 28,320 protein-coding genes, assisted by a combination of prediction and transcriptome sequencing. In addition, a nearly 1:1 orthology ratio of dot plots of longer syntenic blocks revealed a similar evolutionary history between A. yangbiense and grape, indicating that the genome has not undergone a whole-genome duplication event after the core eudicot common hexaploidization. Conclusion Here, we report a high-quality de novo genome assembly of A. yangbiense , the first genome for the genus Acer and the family Aceraceae. This will provide fundamental conservation genomics resources, as well as representing a new high-quality reference genome for the economically important Acer lineage and the wider order of Sapindales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]