The complete chloroplast genome of a rare fern species from North China, Botrychium lunaria (Ophioglossaceae)

Species in the genus Botrychium are tiny herbaceous plants with simple morphology that are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. The phylogenetic relationship intra the genus is not well resolved, different species/populations from North America, Europe, and Asia demonstrate a paraphyletic relationship, including Botrychium lunaria. In this study, we reported the first complete chloroplast genome sequence of B. lunaria from Chinese population. It is 138,558 bp in length, and composed with a typical quadripartite structure. The overall GC content is 44.40%. In total, 129 genes were annotated, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. A maximum-likelihood tree of primitive fern lineage based on complete chloroplast genome sequence data was constructed. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that Botrychium is closely related to other basal fern lineages, such as Helminthostachys, Ophioglossum, and Mankyua. Furthermore, the genomic data generated in this study will provide helpful information for the conservation of B. lunaria in Beijing, China.