Complete chloroplast genome analysis of Polygala chinensis L. (= P. glomerata Lour.) (Fabales, Polygalaceae)

Polygala chinensis L. is a medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory activity and traditional use against snake envenomation. We assembled and annotated its complete chloroplast genome using Illumina data. The chloroplast genome is 163,097 bp and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure, comprising a large single-copy region (83,285 bp), two inverted repeats (34,925 bp each), and a small single-copy region (9,962 bp). It contains 113 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 5 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis placed P. chinensis as sister to Polygala subopposita. This work provides the first species-specific chloroplast genome reference for P. chinensis, enabling precise molecular identification and evolutionary studies.