The chloroplast genome of the allotriploid, Paeonia × lemoinei cv. Oukan, and its phylogenetic implications

TL;DR

This study analyzes the chloroplast genome of a new allotriploid tree peony and explores its evolutionary relationships with other peony species.

Contribution

The paper presents the first chloroplast genome of an allotriploid tree peony and provides phylogenetic insights into its origin.

Findings

Cv. Oukan is closely related to its maternal parent cv. High Noon.

Cv. Oukan clusters into subsect. Delavayanae, while cv. Shouanhong clusters into subsect. Vaginatae.

The study suggests both subsects could serve as maternal parents for breeding triploid cultivars.

Abstract

The chloroplast genome of Paeonia × lemoinei cv. Oukan, a newly identified allotriploid from Paeonia sect. Moutan, shows typical tree peony features in size, structure, and gene content. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed cv. Oukan and the known triploid cv. Shouanhong clustered into subsect. Delavayanae and subsect. Vaginatae, respectively. Cv. Oukan is closely related to its maternal parent cv. High Noon, while autotriploid cv. Shouanhong is sister to P. ostii but genetically distinct. This study provides genomic resources and phylogenetic insights for the first allotriploid tree peony, suggesting lineages in both subsects could serve as maternal parents for breeding triploid cultivars.

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