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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Systematics and Evolution
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1415253

Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of plastid genomes of the medicinally important genus Alisma (Alismataceae)

Provisionally accepted
Zhiqiong Lan Zhiqiong Lan 1*Wen Zheng Wen Zheng 1Alicia Talavera Alicia Talavera 2Zelong Nie Zelong Nie 3Jing Liu Jing Liu 4Gabriel Johnson Gabriel Johnson 2Xianmei Yin Xianmei Yin 1Wenqi Zhao Wenqi Zhao 1Zongyi Zhao Zongyi Zhao 1Sara M. Handy Sara M. Handy 5Jun Wen Jun Wen 2
  • 1 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
  • 3 Jishou University, Jishou, Hunan, China
  • 4 Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan, China
  • 5 United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Alisma L. is a medicinally important genus of aquatic and wetland plants consisting of c. 10 recognized species. However, largely due to polyploidy and limited taxon and gene sampling, the phylogenomic relationships of Alisma remain challenging. In this study, we sequenced 34 accessions of Alismataceae, including eight of the ten species of Alisma, one species of Echinodorus and one species of Luronium, to perform comparative analyses of plastid genomes and phylogenetic analyses. Comparative analysis of plastid genomes revealed high sequence similarity among species within the genus. Our study analyzed structural changes and variations in the plastomes of Alisma, including IR expansion or contraction, and gene duplication or loss. Phylogenetic results suggest that Alisma is monophyletic, and constitutes four groups:(1) A. lanceolatum and A. canaliculatum; (2) the North American clade of A. subcordatum and A. triviale; (3) A. wahlenbergii and A. gramineum; and (4) A. plantago-aquatica from Eurasia and northern Africa with the eastern Asian A. orientale nested within it. Hence the results challenge the recognition of A. orientale as a distinct species and raise the possibility of treating it as a synonym of the widespread A. plantago-aquatica. The well-known Alismatis Rhizoma (Zexie) in Chinese medicine was likely derived from the morphologically variable Alisma plantago-aquatica throughout its long history of cultivation in Asia. The plastome phylogenetic results also support the tetraploid A. lanceolatum as the likely maternal parent of the hexaploid eastern Asian A. canaliculatum.

    Keywords: Alisma, phylogenomics, plastid genome, structural variation, medicinal plant

    Received: 10 Apr 2024; Accepted: 31 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lan, Zheng, Talavera, Nie, Liu, Johnson, Yin, Zhao, Zhao, Handy and Wen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhiqiong Lan, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China

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