Complete chloroplast genome features and phylogenetic analysis of Abies ernestii var. salouenensis (Bordères and Gaussen) W. C. Cheng and L. K. Fu from southwest China

Abies ernestii var. salouenensis (Bordères & Gaussen) W. C. Cheng & L. K. Fu is endemic to southwest China, including the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and the northwestern Yunnan Province. The taxonomic relationships between A. ernestii var. salouenensis and two other closely related fir species (A. chensiensis Tiegh. and A. ernestii Rehd.) still need to be determined. Here, we report for the first time the whole chloroplast genome of A. ernestii var. salouenensis. Its genome is 121,759 bp long and is characterized by a circular structure with 68 peptide-encoding genes, 16 tRNAs, six ORFs, and four rRNAs. We also identified 70 microsatellite repeat sequences and 14 tandem repeat sequences in the chloroplast genome of A. ernestii var. salouenensis. Comparative genome analysis indicated considerable variation in ycf1 and ycf2. Phylogenetic analysis supported the monophyly of A. ernestii var. salouenensis, A. chensiensis Tiegh., and A. ernestii Rehd. The relationships among them should be surveyed using more samples at the species level. This study will facilitate taxonomic studies and the development of suitable chloroplast markers for fir species.