Chromosome-level genome assembly of the threatened ornamental plant Hibiscus yunnanensis

Hibiscus yunnanensis S.Y. Hu is an endangered species of the genus Hibiscus (Malvaceae), which has high potential economic value. However, the absence of a high-quality reference genome impedes the study of the ecology and molecular biology of H. yunnanensis. Here, we present a high-quality chromosome-level assembly of H. yunnanensis using BGI-DIPSEQ, Nanopore, and Hi-C sequencing. The assembled genome size is 2.2 Gb with a contig N50 of 12.1 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 137.1 Mb. Approximately 99.2% of the assembly is anchored into 17 pseudochromosomes, and a BUSCO analysis indicates a completeness score of 99.6%. Furthermore, we identify 42,085 protein-coding genes, of which 96.4% are functionally annotated. This genome resource provides a foundation for future studies on unique traits, including drought-tolerant, savanna-adapted, and long-flowering traits. Its ability to flower in winter, along with its automatic selfing and lack of delayed inbreeding depression, makes it an excellent model for studying style curvature mechanism and its adaptive significance in the Malvaceae.