Find in Library

Taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of <i>Christia</i>, <i>Urariopsis</i>, <i>Uraria</i> and related genera within the tribe Desmodieae (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae) have long been controversial. Here, we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of <i>Christia vespertilionis</i> and <i>Urariopsis brevissima</i> and perform comparative and phylogenetic analyses with <i>Uraria lagopodioides</i> and other relatives in the Desmodieae. The cp genomes of <i>C. vespertilionis</i> and <i>U. brevissima</i> are 149,656 and 149,930 bp long, with 128 unique genes (83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes), respectively. Comparative analyses revealed 95-129 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and eleven highly variable regions (<i>trnK-rbcL</i>, <i>rbcL-atpB</i>, <i>ndhJ-trnF</i>, <i>trnL-trnT</i>, <i>psbD-rpoB</i>, <i>accD-cemA</i>, <i>petA-psbL</i>, <i>psbE-petL</i>, <i>rps11-rps19</i>, <i>ndhF-ccsA</i>, and <i>rps15-ycf1</i>) among six Desmodieae species. Phylogenetic analyses clearly resolved two subtribes (Desmodiinae and Lespedezinae) of Desmodieae as monophyletic, and the newly reported <i>C. vespertilionis</i> and <i>U. brevissima</i> clustered in subtribe Desmodiinae. A sister relationship of <i>C. vespertilionis</i> to <i>U. lagopodioides</i> was supported. Evidence was presented to support the treatment of <i>Urariopsis</i> as a distinct genus rather than in synonymy with <i>Uraria</i>. The results provide valuable information for further studies on species delimitation, phylogenetics, population genetics, and the evolutionary process of speciation in the Desmodieae.