The Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Viburnum odoratissimum and Phylogenetic Relationship with Other Close Species in the Adoxaceae Family

The chloroplast genome structure and gene content are highly conserved among land plants, providing valuable information for the studies of taxonomy and plant evolution. Viburnum odoratissimum is a well-known evergreen shrub widely distributed in Asia. It possesses excellent medicinal properties used as traditional medicine for menstrual, stomach, and kidney
cramps. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) of V. odoratissimum is reported and compared with five close Viburnum species and an outgroup. The cpDNA of V. odoratissimum is 158,744 bp in length and contains 130 genes with 17 genes duplicated in the inverted repeat region. The gene content, gene organization and GC content in V. odoratissimum are
highly similar to other Viburnum species. A total of 270 tandem repeats is found in these plastomes, most of which are distributed in intergenic space. Differences in the location of the IR/SC boundaries reflect expansions and contractions of IR regions in all species studied. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete chloroplast genomes and the combination of barcodes
indicates a sister relationship between V. odoratissimum and V. brachybotryum. Furthermore, a comparative cpDNA analysis identifies three DNA regions (trnC-petN-psbM, trnH-psbA, ndhC-trnV) containing high divergence among seven studied species that could be used as potential phylogenetic markers in taxonomic studies.