Climate change is an important driver of species distribution and biodiversity. Understanding the response of plants to climate change is helpful to understand species differentiation and formulate conservation strategies. The genus Polyspora (Theaceae) has an ancient origin and is widely distributed in subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests. Studies on the impacts of climate change on species geographical distribution of Chinese Polyspora can provide an important reference for exploring the responses of plant groups in subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests with geological events and climate change in China. Based on the environmental variables, distribution records, and chloroplast genomes, we modeled the potential distribution of Chinese Polyspora in the Last Glacial Maximum, middle Holocene, current, and future by using MaxEnt‐ArcGIS model and molecular phylogenetic method. The changes in the species distribution area, centroid shift, and ecological niche in each periods were analyzed to speculate the response modes of Chinese Polyspora to climate change in different periods. The most important environmental factor affecting the distribution of Polyspora was the precipitation of the driest month, ranging from 13 to 25 mm for the highly suitable habitats. At present, highly suitable distribution areas of Polyspora were mainly located in the south of 25°N, and had species‐specificity. The main glacial refugia of the Chinese Polyspora might be located in the Ailao, Gaoligong, and Dawei Mountains of Yunnan Province. Jinping County, Pingbian County, and the Maguan County at the border of China and Vietnam might be the species differentiation center of the Chinese Polyspora. Moderate climate warming in the future would be beneficial to the survival of P. axillaris, P. chrysandra, and P. speciosa. However, climate warming under different shared socio‐economic pathways would reduce the suitable habitats of P. hainanensis and P. longicarpa.

PolysporaSweet (Theaceae) are winter ornamental landscape plants native to southern and southeastern Asia, some of which have medicinal value. The chloroplast (cp) genome data ofPolysporaare scarce, and the gene evolution and interspecific relationship are still unclear. In this study, we sequenced and annotatedPolyspora chrysandracp genome and combined it with previously published genomes for other ChinesePolysporaspecies. The results showed that cp genomes of six ChinesePolysporavaried in length between 156,452 bp (P. chrysandra) and 157,066 bp (P. speciosa), but all contained 132 genes, with GC content of 37.3%, and highly similar genes distribution and codon usage. A total of eleven intergenic spacer regions were found having the highest levels of divergence, and eight divergence hotspots were identified as molecular markers for Phylogeography and genetic diversity studies inPolyspora. Gene selection pressure suggested that five genes were subjected to positive selection. Phylogenetic relationships amongPolysporaspecies based on the complete cp genomes were supported strongly, indicating that the cp genomes have the potential to be used as super barcodes for further analysis of the phylogeny of the entire genus. The cp genomes of ChinesePolysporaspecies will provide valuable information for species identification, molecular breeding and evolutionary analysis of genusPolyspora.

In this study, we utilized 76 natural distribution points and six environmental variables to establish a detailed species distribution prediction process for Luculia pinceana Hook. f. Our aim was to explore the potential distribution patterns of L. pinceana since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and its response to climate change, providing a scientific basis for conservation strategies and the suitable introduction of its wild populations. This model enabled the prediction of L. pinceana’s geographical distribution patterns across five temporal phases: the LGM, the Mid-Holocene (MH), the present, and two future scenarios. Additionally, the model pinpointed the dominant environmental factors influencing these distribution patterns. The results indicate the following: (1) The temperature annual range (bio7), the minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio6), and the precipitation of the wettest month (bio13) are the dominant environmental factors that determine the distribution of L. pinceana. In areas where bio7 is less than 22.27 °C, bio6 is above 3.34 °C, and bio13 exceeds 307.65 mm, the suitability for L. pinceana is highest. (2) Under the current climatic conditions, the highly suitable area of L. pinceana accounts for 64 × 10⁴ km², which accounts for half of the total suitable area. The suitable habitats for L. pinceana are concentrated in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangxi, southern Nyingchi in Tibet, and the coastal areas of South China. (3) During the LGM and the MH, the suitable habitats for L. pinceana were essentially consistent with the current scenarios, with no significant southward shift in distribution. This lack of a major southward migration during the LGM could be attributed to the species finding refuge in situ in mountainous areas. (4) Under various future emission scenarios, the suitable habitat area for L. pinceana is expected to experience significant expansion, generally shifting towards the northwest and higher latitudes. The anticipated global warming in the future is likely to provide more favorable conditions for the survival of L. pinceana. It is recommended that the introduction follows the direction of centroid migration, facilitated by vegetation management, and it has the ecological and economic benefits of L. pinceana to a greater extent.

Polyspora tiantangensis (Theaceae) is an endangered woody plant in southwestern China. In this study, we assembled complete chloroplast (cp) genome of P. tiantangensis based on the Illumina reads. The cp genome of P. tiantangensis is 157,057 bp in length, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,593 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,284 bp, separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,090 bp each. The cp genome encoded 132 genes including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The GC content of cp genome of P. tiantangensis is 37.3%. A total of 68 SSRs were discovered. Phylogenetic analysis of cp genomes from 26 species of Theaceae revealed that all species of Polyspora formed one monophyletic clade and P. tiantangensis was closely related with its congeneric species P. longicarpa with 100% bootstrap value.

Rosa lucidissima is a critically endangered wild rose species endemic to China with both ornamental value and medicinal usefulness. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of R. lucidissima was generated by de novo assembly using whole genome next-generation sequencing to provide genomic data for further conservation genetics of this species and for phylogenetic analysis of genus Rosa. The complete chloroplast genome was 156,588 bp in length, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions (26,048 bp), a small single-copy (SSC) region (18,765 bp), and a large single-copy (LSC) region (85,713 bp). The chloroplast genome encoded 129 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome was 37.25%. Phylogenetic analysis of 19 selected chloroplast genomes revealed that R. lucidissima was most closely related to R. chinensis var. spontanea.