Structural characterization of four Rhododendron spp. chloroplast genomes and comparative analyses with other azaleas

Abstract

Azalea is a general designation of Rhododendron in the Ericaceae family. Rhododendron not only has high ornamental value but also has application value in ecological protection, medicine, and scientific research. In this study, we used Illumina and PacBio sequencing to assemble and annotate the entire chloroplast genomes (cp genomes) of four Rhododendron species. The chloroplast genomes of R.