The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Ranunculus pekinensis (L. Liou) Luferov (Ranunculaceae), a species endemic to China

Ranunculus pekinensis (L. Liou) Luferov 1997, a perennial aquatic herb, is endemic to Beijing, China and has high water quality requirements. Because its habitat is under great threat and its population is declining, it is now listed as a national protected plant in China. To provide genomic resources for future research of this endangered species, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of R. pekinensis was assembled and annotated for the first time. The complete chloroplast genome sequence was 156,139 bp in length, containing a large single copy region (LSC) of 85,430 bp and a small single copy region (SSC) of 19,970 bp, which were separated by a pair of 25,367 bp inverted repeat regions (IRs). The complete chloroplast sequence contained 112 unique genes, including 30 tRNA, 4 rRNA, and 78 protein-coding genes. The overall guanine-cytosine (GC) content of the chloroplast genome was 37.8%, and the GC contents of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 36.0%, 31.3%, and 43.5%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis with the reported chloroplast sequences showed that R. pekinensis was closely related to R. bungei Steud. 1841, both of which belonged to Ranunculus Sect. Batrachium DC. 1817. These data will provide essential resources regarding the evolution and conservation of R. pekinensis.