The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) root is the main raw material used for inulin production, and chicory leaf represents an important forage resource. This is the first reported sequence for a chloroplast genome of the chicory family Compositae. The length of the intact chicory chloroplast genome was 152,975 bp, consisting of one reverse repeat region (IRs, 50,038 bp), one small single-copy region (SSC, 18,561 bp), and one large single-copy region (LSC, 84,376 bp). The chicory chloroplast genome contains 127 functional genes, including 74 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 24 rRNA genes. An analysis of the phylogenetic relationship of chicory to other species revealed that chicory is closely related to the Chrysanthemum and Artemisia groups. Together these results serve to lay a foundation for the ongoing evolutionary and ecological study of Cichorium.