Rhododendron bailiense Genome sequencing and assembly

Rhododendron bailiense Y.P.Ma, C.Q.Zhang and D.F.Chamb, an endangered rhododendron species discovered in recent years, has distinctive ovoid leaves set with lavender flowers; it is considered a unique rhododendron species. In the current study, we have completed the genome assembly of R. bailiense in view of the unique nature and scarcity of R. bailiense. The genome of R. bailiense was assembled using a combination of Pacbio high-fidelity (Hifi) long-reads sequencing and Hi-C scaffolding technology. In total, 923.3 Mb of genomic scaffolds were assembled, most of which could be assigned to 13 chromosomes and had a scaffold N50 of 61.8 Mb.