Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Aster hersileoides (Asteraceae, Astereae) and its phylogenetic implications

This study was the first report about the complete chloroplast genome of Aster hersileoides (Asteraceae, Astereae). The circular whole cp genome of A. hersileoides was 152,345 bp in length, contained a large single copy (LSC) region of 84,124 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,243 bp. These two regions were separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb), each of them 24,989 bp in length. A total of 134 functional genes were encoded, consisted of 89 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome sequence was 37.3% and the GC contents of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 32.6, 31.2, and 43.0%, respectively. The phylogenetic hypotheses obtained based on the analyses of 20 cp genomes places A. hersileoides within the tribe Astereae of Asteraceae.