Complete Chloroplast Genome of <i>Enkianthus</i> Lour. (Ericaceae): Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic Relationships, Divergence History, and Adaptive Evolution.

ABSTRACT: Enkianthus (Ericaceae) is a small genus of great ornamental and ecological importance, preferring the specialized habitats in montane elfin forests of east Asia. Here, we for the first time sequenced, assembled, and annotated the complete chloroplast genomes of 16 species, representing all four sections of Enkianthus. The plastomes exhibited a typical quadripartite structure and were highly conserved in genome size, organization, and gene content. Plastid phylogenomics confirmed the monophyly of four sections of Andromedina, Enkiantella, Enkianthus, and Meisteria, with sect. Enkianthus as the first diverging clade. Divergence time analysis supported an ancient origin of Enkianthus at the Late Cretaceous but rapid recent radiation sinc

SUBMITTER: Peng S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12446880 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature