Actinidia chinensis ‘Hongyang’, also known as red yangtao (red heart kiwifruit), is a vine fruit tree native to China possessing significant nutritional and economic value. However, information on its genetic diversity and phylogeny is still very limited. The first chloroplast (cp) genome of A. chinensis ‘Hongyang’ cultivated in China was sequenced using de novo technology in this study. A. chinensis ‘Hongyang’ possesses a cp genome that spans 156,267 base pairs (bp), exhibiting an overall GC content of 37.20%. There were 132 genes that were annotated, with 85 of them being protein-coding genes, 39 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. A total of 49 microsatellite sequences (SSRs) were detected, mainly single nucleotide repeats, mostly consisting of A or T base repeats. Compared with 14 other species, the cp genomes of A. chinensis ‘Hongyang’ were biased towards the use of codons containing A/U, and the non-protein coding regions in the A. chinensis ‘Hongyang’ cpDNA showed greater variation than the coding regions. The nucleotide polymorphism analysis (Pi) yielded nine highly variable region hotspots, most in the large single copy (LSC) region. The cp genome boundary analysis revealed a conservative order of gene arrangement in the inverted repeats (IRs) region of the cp genomes of 15 Actinidia plants, with small expansions and contractions of the boundaries. Furthermore, phylogenetic tree indicated that A. chinensis ‘Hongyang’ was the closest relative to A. indochinensis. This research provides a useful basis for future genetic and evolutionary studies of A. chinensis ‘Hongyang’, and enriches the biological information of Actinidia species.

Background/Objectives: The oil grape (Idesia polycarpa), often called the “golden tree”, is an essential woody plant valued for its edible oil. Although its economic significance is recognized, the specifics of its chloroplast genome and evolutionary connections remain unclear. This study sequenced the chloroplast genome of I. polycarpa and performed a comparative analysis of its genome structure, genetic diversity, and phylogenetics using chloroplast data from related species. Methods: In this study, we sequenced and annotated the whole chloroplast genome of I. polycarpa via GISEQ-500 sequencing and de novo assembly. Results: The chloroplast genome of I. polycarpa exhibits a typical tetrad structure, with a length of 155,899 bp and a GC content of 36.78%. It comprises 130 unique genes, including 85 coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and eight rRNAs, showing notable conservation in gene composition and arrangement compared to closely related species. However, the inverted repeat region boundaries are narrower. Phylogenetic analysis showed strong relationships among I. polycarpa, Bennettiodendron brevipes, Poliothyrsis sinensis, Itoa orientalis, and Carrierea calycina within the Salicaceae family. Additionally, positive selection analysis revealed that rpl16, ycf1, rps18, and rpl22 are under significant selective pressure in related species, likely linked to adaptations for photosynthesis and environmental responses. Conclusions: This research provides vital molecular foundations for the conservation, classification, and enhancement of I. polycarpa germplasm resources, advancing the study of adaptive evolutionary mechanisms and broadening the genomic database for I. polycarpa.