The complete chloroplast genome of the Salix babylonica has been reconstructed from the whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome is 156 819 bp in size, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 27 624 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85 255 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 16 316 bp. The chloroplast genome contains 130 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes (76 PCG species), eight ribosomal RNA genes (4 rRNA species), and 38 transfer RNA genes (30 tRNA species). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 36.7%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 34.4%, 31.0%, and 41.8%, respectively. By comparing four willow chloroplast genomes, this study found that RNA genes were more conservative than protein-coding genes.
Keywords: Chloroplast genome; Salix; Salix babylonica; next-generation sequencing.