Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of Ventilago leiocarpa Benth. (Rhamnaceae)

Abstract Ventilago leiocarpa Benth.is a medicinal plant in the Rhamnaceae family, whose dried roots and rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we generated a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of V. leiocarpa using PacBio HiFi long reads and Hi-C data. The final assembly was 227.7 Mb in size, consisting of 27 scaffolds, of which 12 pseudochromosomes anchored 97.94% of the total genome, with a contig N50 of 18.9 Mb and a GC content of 35.31%. BUSCO analysis showed 98.8% completeness, indicating high genome integrity. A total of 24,973 protein-coding genes were predicted, with 95.8% complete BUSCOs in the annotated gene set. Transcriptomic data from roots, stems, and leaves exhibited > 96% mapping rates, supporting annotation accuracy. Comparative genomic analysis revealed close evolutionary relationships with Sageretia thea 1 and Rhamnella rubrinervis 2 . This high-quality genome provides an essential resource for investigating the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds, functional genomics, and molecular breeding of V. leiocarpa and related medicinal plants.