Complete chloroplast genomes of Desmidorchis penicillata (Deflers) Plowes and Desmidorchis retrospiciens Ehrenb: Comparative and phylogenetic analyses among subtribe Stapeliinae (Ceropegieae, Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae)

The succulent shrubs Desmidorchis penicillata and D. retrospiciens, part of the taxonomically challenging genus Desmidorchis, are well-known for their ecological resilience and medicinal significance. This study sequences the first complete chloroplast genomes of these species, shedding light on their genomic characteristics and evolutionary relationships. The circular genomes of D. penicillata (161,776 bp) and D. retrospiciens (162,277 bp) display a quadripartite structure typical of angiosperms. Gene content, order, and GC content are consistent, featuring 114 unique genes, including 80 protein-coding, 30 transfer RNAs, and four ribosomal RNAs genes. Codon usage analysis underscores A/U-rich preferences, while RNA editing sites, predominantly in ndhB and ndhD genes, suggest post-transcriptional modifications. Analysis of long repeated sequences reveals a predominance of forward and palindromic repeats. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs), particularly A/T motifs, are abundant, with high pr..., , , # Complete chloroplast genomes of Desmidorchis penicillata (Deflers) Plowes and Desmidorchis retrospiciens Ehrenb: Comparative and phylogenetic analyses among subtribe Stapeliinae (Ceropegieae, Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5rc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5rc)

## Description of the data and file structure

### Files and variables

#### File: Ceropegieae\_Data\_matrix.fas

**Description:** FASTA format file containing aligned sequences of the 77 protein-coding genes from from 11 chloroplast genomes representing the entire Ceropegieae tribe, which includes the subtribes Anisotominae, Heterostemminae, Leptadeniinae, and Stapeliinae. In addition, three genomes from tribe Marsdenieae serve as outgroup taxa. This matrix was used for phylogenetic analyses to elucidate the phylogenetic placement of *Desmidorchis penicillatus and D. retrospiciens* within subtribe Stapeliinae and tribe Ceropegieae. The dataset was constructed using genomic sequence...