The complete chloroplast genome of Ranunculus muricatus L. (Ranunculaceae): insights into genome features and evolutionary relationships.

Abstract

Ranunculus muricatus L. 1753, commonly known as spiny fruit buttercup, is a widely distributed medicinal plant. This study reported the first complete chloroplast genome of this species. The genome reveals a typical quadripartite structure, spanning 155,129 bp (LSC: 84,636 bp; SSC: 18,909 bp; IRs: 25,792 bp each) with 37.9% GC content. It was annotated 126 functional genes, including 81 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that R. muricatus clustered a monophyletic group with R. repens within the section Polyanthemos. These findings support future research on its species identification, genetic diversity and phylogenetic evolution.