Complete Chloroplast Genome Characterization, and Phylogenetic Analyses of the Rare and Endangered Plant Platycrater arguta

As an important rare and endangered plant, <i>Platycrater arguta</i> urgently requires protective measures. In this study, we assembled and annotated a more complete chloroplast genome of <i>P. arguta</i>, which has a size of 157,812 bp. The chloroplast genome comprises a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,825 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,735 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 26,126 bp each. SSR detection revealed that the chloroplast genome contains 199 simple repeat loci, with mononucleotide repeats of A and T being the most frequent, accounting for 59.8%. Comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome structure showed that the IR region boundaries are relatively conserved. The results of the phylogenetic tree indicate that <i>P. arguta</i> shares high homology with Hydrangea davidii. This work provides a scientific basis for future research on the genetics, biology, and conservation of <i>P. arguta</i>.