The genome assembly and annotation of Dipteris shenzhenensis

<i>Dipteris</i> is a relic plant genus and the important indicator of global climate warming and plant geography during the Mesozoic era. However, the lack of genomic resources has hindered the study of paleoclimate, systematic evolution, and medicinal value of this genus. Here, we sequenced and assembled the first chromosome-level genome of <i>Dipteris shenzhenensis</i>. The assembled genome was 1.9 Gb with a contig N50 length of 4.75 Mb, GC content of 42.28% and BUSCO value of 98.3%, and 98.37% of the assembled sequences were anchored onto 33 pseudochromosomes. 71.97% of the genome were predicted to be repetitive sequences, and a total of 26,471 protein coding genes were predicted, in which, 24,485 (92.5%) genes could be functionally annotated. Phylogenomic and comparative analyses suggested that <i>D. shenzhenensis</i> had experienced a whole genome duplication event after it diverged with other ferns at about 283.5 million years ago. The first high-quality genome of <i>Dipteris</i> will provide important genome resources for understanding the systematic evolution, paleoclimate and medicinal value of ferns.