Comparative analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from Curcuma longa and Curcuma kwangsiensis reveals structural plasticity, conserved core genes, and species-specific evolutionary dynamics

Background: s are widely used medicinal species whose mitogenomic architectures, gene content, and evolutionary trajectories have not been fully characterized. Understanding these features is essential to resolve phylogenetic relationships and elucidate mechanisms of mitochondrial genome plasticity. Results: while exhibiting a low substitution rate of 0.004 per site. Conclusions: and offer insights into mitochondrial genome evolution and species-specific diversification in Zingiberaceae.