biostudies-literatureUnknown16Shuai T<h4>Introduction</h4>The genus <i>Periploca L</i>. (Apocynaceae) comprises approximately 17 species worldwide and possesses considerable medicinal value. However, owing to morphological similarities in vegetative organs, specimens and living plants usually lacking flowers and fruits are difficult to determine to species level posing challenges for its proper medicinal utilization.<h4>Methods</h4>In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of five <i>Periploca</i> species (<i>P. chrysantha</i>, <i>P. forrestii</i>, <i>P. calophylla</i>, <i>P. floribunda</i>, and <i>P. tsiangii</i>). By combining the new data with the published cp genome of P. sepium and 22 additional Apocynaceae cp genomes from NCBI, we conducted a comparative analysis of all recognized <Frontiers in plant science1564539https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12497752biostudies-literatureComparative chloroplast genomes and phylogenetic analysis of six &lt;i&gt;Periploca&lt;/i&gt; species from China provide insights into the distinction of members of this small medicinal genus.PMC12497752Wu ZLong JShuai TJiang XDing NLi QZhou WWei LfalseComparative chloroplast genomes and phylogenetic analysis of six &lt;i&gt;Periploca&lt;/i&gt; species from China provide insights into the distinction of members of this small medicinal genus.<h4>Introduction</h4>The genus <i>Periploca L</i>. (Apocynaceae) comprises approximately 17 species worldwide and possesses considerable medicinal value. However, owing to morphological similarities in vegetative organs, specimens and living plants usually lacking flowers and fruits are difficult to determine to species level posing challenges for its proper medicinal utilization.<h4>Methods</h4>In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of five <i>Periploca</i> species (<i>P. chrysantha</i>, <i>P. forrestii</i>, <i>P. calophylla</i>, <i>P. floribunda</i>, and <i>P. tsiangii</i>). By combining the new data with the published cp genome of P. sepium and 22 additional Apocynaceae cp genomes from NCBI, we conducted a comparative analysis of all recognized <2025-01-01T00:00:00Z20252026-07-15T05:52:17.953Z2026-06-30T03:16:31.122ZS-EPMC124977524105936310.3389/fpls.2025.1564539