Rhododendron delavayi Franch. is globally famous as an ornamental plant. Its distribution in southwest China covers several different habitats and environments. However, not much research had been conducted on Rhododendron spp. at the molecular level, which hinders understanding of its evolution, speciation, and synthesis of secondary metabolites, as well as its wide adaptability to different environments. Here, we report the genome assembly and gene annotation of R. delavayi var. delavayi (the second genome sequenced in the Ericaceae), which will facilitate the study of the family. The genome assembly will have further applications in genome-assisted cultivar breeding. The final size of the assembled R. delavayi var. delavayi genome (695.09 Mb) was close to the 697.94 Mb, estimated by k-mer analysis. A total of 336.83 gigabases (Gb) of raw Illumina HiSeq 2000 reads were generated from 9 libraries (with insert sizes ranging from 170 bp to 40 kb), achieving a raw sequencing depth of ×482.6. After quality filtering, 246.06 Gb of clean reads were obtained, giving ×352.55 coverage depth. Assembly using Platanus gave a total scaffold length of 695.09 Mb, with a contig N50 of 61.8 kb and a scaffold N50 of 637.83 kb. Gene prediction resulted in the annotation of 32 938 protein-coding genes. The genome completeness was evaluated by CEGMA and BUSCO and reached 95.97% and 92.8%, respectively. The gene annotation completeness was also evaluated by CEGMA and BUSCO and reached 97.01% and 87.4%, respectively. Genome annotation revealed that 51.77% of the R. delavayi genome is composed of transposable elements, and 37.48% of long terminal repeat elements (LTRs). The de novo assembled genome of R. delavayi var. delavayi (hereinafter referred to as R. delavayi) is the second genomic resource of the family Ericaceae and will provide a valuable resource for research on future comparative genomic studies in Rhododendron species. The availability of the R. delavayi genome sequence will hopefully provide a tool for scientists to tackle open questions regarding molecular mechanisms underlying environmental interactions in the genus Rhododendron, more accurately understand the evolutionary processes and systematics of the genus, facilitate the identification of genes encoding pharmaceutically important compounds, and accelerate molecular breeding to release elite varieties.

Lilies are economically important monocots known for their ornamental flowers, bulbs, and large genomes. The absence of their genomic information has impeded evolutionary studies and genome-based breeding efforts. Here, we present reference genomes for Lilium sargentiae (lily, 35.66 Gb) and Gloriosa superba (flame lily, 5.09 Gb). The giant lily genome is shaped by recent long terminal repeat retroelements. Phylogenetic analysis reveals diverse, independent origins of lily cultivars. Gene families involved in sucrose and starch metabolism are significantly expanded in the lily genome. Key homologs of XTH22, SOC1, and AP1/FUL-like genes regulate the development, bud growth transition, and floral bud growth transition of lily bulbs. Colchicine biosynthetic gene clusters are identified in G. superba but are absent in L. sargentiae, highlighting independent colchicine evolution in Colchicaceae. These genomic insights enhance understanding of Liliales evolution, providing a foundation for future breeding and molecular research.

Medicinal plants are natural sources to unravel novel bioactive compounds to satisfy human pharmacological potentials. The world’s demand for herbal medicines is increasing year by year; however, large-scale production of medicinal plants and their derivatives is still limited. The rapid development of modern technology has stimulated multi-omics research in medicinal plants, leading to a series of breakthroughs on key genes, metabolites, enzymes involved in biosynthesis and regulation of active compounds. Here, we summarize the latest research progress on the molecular intricacy of medicinal plants, including the comparison of genomics to demonstrate variation and evolution among species, the application of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to explore dynamic changes of molecular compounds, and the utilization of potential resources for natural drug discovery. These multi-omics research provide the theoretical basis for environmental adaptation of medicinal plants and allow us to understand the chemical diversity and composition of bioactive compounds. Many medicinal herbs’ phytochemical constituents and their potential health benefits are not fully explored. Given their large diversity and global distribution as well as the impacts of growth duration and environmental factors on bioactive phytochemicals in medicinal plants, it is crucial to emphasize the research needs of using multi-omics technologies to address basic and applied problems in medicinal plants to aid in developing new and improved medicinal plant resources and discovering novel medicinal ingredients.