Complete chloroplast genome sequences of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb., V. vitis-idaea L., and V. uliginosum L. (Ericaceae)

Members of the Vaccinium genus (Ericaceae family) have excellent medicinal and nutritional properties. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of three species, Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb., V. vitis-idaea L., and V. uliginosum L., to investigate their phylogenetic relationships within the Ericaceae. The chloroplast genomes of these species are 174,404 bp, 173,967 bp, and 173,356 bp, respectively. These genomes have a typical quadripartite structure, with an LSC region (106,565 bp, 106,013 bp, and 105,856 bp) and an SSC region (2979 bp, 3518 bp, and 3146 bp) separated by a pair of IRs (32,430 bp, 32,218 bp, and 32,177 bp, respectively). These cp genomes are composed of 139 genes, including 93 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis indicated that V. bracteatum is most closely related to V. oldhamii. Our findings should facilitate further evolutionary and genetic studies.