# The complete plastome of Acalypha australis (Euphorbiaceae) and its phylogenetic analysis

## TL;DR

This study sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of Acalypha australis and analyzed its evolutionary relationships within the Euphorbiaceae family.

## Contribution

The paper provides the first complete plastome sequence of Acalypha australis and its phylogenetic placement in Euphorbiaceae.

## Key findings

- The plastome is 168,885 bp long with specific regions and a 34.9% GC content.
- A. australis and A. hispida form a monophyletic sister clade in the Euphorbiaceae phylogeny.
- The plastome contains 127 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes.

## Abstract

Acalypha australis L. 1753 is a potherb popular among Asian populations and is a traditional herbal medicine. In the current study, the overall genetic diversity of A. australis still needs to be better. Here, we assembled and characterized the complete plastome of A. australis. The plastome is 168,885 bp in length with a large single-copy (LSC) of 94,576 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) of 19,715 bp, and two copies of inverted repeat region (IRs) of 27,297 bp each. The overall GC content is 34.9%. The plastome contains 127 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenomic analysis of the representative species of Euphorbiaceae showed that A. australis and A. hispida formed a monophyletic sister clade. The results of this study will support further research on the evolution and conservation of the Euphorbiaceae species; they will benefit pharmaceutical applications and ornamentation of the medicinal plant A. australis.