Whole chloroplast genome sequence and phylogenetic analysis of Calanthe discolor (Orchidaceae)

The orchid Calanthe discolor, which has high ornamental and medicinal value, is mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and southeast Hubei Provinces of China, as well as in Japan and the southern Korean peninsula. In this study, the whole chloroplast genome sequence of C. discolor was first assembled using high-throughput Illumina paired-end technology, providing data to evaluate the evolution of this species. The C. discolor chloroplast genome was158,286 bp long, including a large single-copy region of 87,095 bp, a small single-copy region of 18,407 bp, and two copies of a repeat region (26,392-bp each). The overall G + C content was 41.2%. A total of 133 genes were predicted from the genome, including 87 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNAs, 38 transfer RNAs. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship between C. discolor and C. bicolor.