Chromosome-level genome assembly ofa hemiparasitic plant, Scurrula parasitica (Loranthaceae)

Scurrula parasitica(Loranthaceae) is a widespread aerial hemiparasitic plant in southwest China, recognized for its ecological roles and wide host range. As a representative of mistletoes in Santalales, it serves as a model for studying the genomic basis of aerial hemiparasitism. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of S. parasiticausing PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi)and Hi-C sequencing. The assembled genome spans 547.41 Mb with a contigN50 of 8.32Mb, and 97.54% of the sequence anchored to nine pseudochromosomes. Repetitive elements comprise 64.53% of the genome. We predicted 21,837 protein-coding genes, 96.05% of which were functionally annotated. Notably, 1,271 transcription factor genes were identified using PlantTFDB. Additionally, we annotated 8,407 non-coding RNAs, including 3,821 tRNAs, 3,076 snRNAs, 1,447 rRNAs, and 63 miRNAs. Genome quality was validated through multiple approaches, including BUSCO analysis, LTR assembly index, Illumina read mapping, and telomeric repeat detection, all of which support the high completeness and accuracy of the assembly. This chromosome-scale assembly provides a foundational resource for investigating gene family evolution, parasitic adaptation, and genome architecture in S. parasitica. The genome and associated datasets are publicly available, enabling future comparative and functional genomic studies in parasitic angiosperms.