Comparative analysis of the complete chloroplast genome sequences of four camellia species

Researching the photosynthetic characteristics based on the whole chloroplast genome sequence of Camellia osmantha cv ‘yidan’ is important for improving production. We sequenced and analyzed the chloroplast (cp) genomes of C. osmantha cv ‘yidan’. The total cp genome length was 156,981 bp. The cp genomes included 134 genes encoding 81 proteins, 39 transfer RNAs, 8 ribosomal RNAs, and 6 genes with unknown functions. In total, 50 repeat sequences were identified in C. osmantha cv ‘yidan’ cp genomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. osmantha cv ‘yidan’ is more closely related to Camellia vietnamensis cv ‘hongguo’ and Camellia oleifera cv ‘cenruan 3’ than to Camellia semiserrata cv ‘hongyu 1’. Our complete assembly of four Camellia cp genomes may contribute to breeding for high oil content plants and further biological discoveries. The results of this study provide a basis for the assembly of the entire chloroplast genome of C. osmantha cv ‘yidan’.