The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Zelkova sinica and phylogenetic implications in Rosales

Zelkova sinica is a popular landscape plant in China because of its wide adaptation, strong disease resistance, large crown and beautiful fall color. Here, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Z. sinica based on genome skimming data. The cp genome is 158,924 bp in length including two copies of inverted region (IR, 26,427 bp) separated by the large single copy (LSC, 87,318 bp) and small single copy (SSC, 18,752 bp) regions. It encodes 111 unique genes, containing 77 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes, with 18 duplicated genes in the IR regions. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Z. sinica is sister to Z. schneideriana in Ulmaceae family.