Plastid genome of Chenopodium petiolare from Trujillo, Peru.

OBJECTIVES: The Peruvian Andean region is an important center for plant domestication. However, to date, there have been few genetic studies on native grain, which limits our understanding of their genetic diversity and the development of new genetic studies for their breeding. Herein, we revealed the plastid genome of Chenopodium petiolare to expand our knowledge of its molecular markers, evolutionary studies, and conservation genetics. DATA DESCRIPTION: Total genomic DNA was extracted from fresh leaves (voucher: USM < PER > :MHN333570). The DNA was sequenced using Illumina Novaseq 6000 (Macrogen Inc., Seoul, Republic of Korea) and reads 152,064 bp in length, with a large single-copy region of 83,520 bp and small single-copy region of 18,108 bp were obtained. These reads were separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions (IR) of 25,218 bp, and the overall guanine and cytosine (GC) was 37.24%. The plastid genome contains 130 genes (111 genes were unique and 19 genes were found duplicated in each IR region), including 86 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA-coding genes, and 25 genes with introns (21 genes with one intron and four genes with two introns). The phylogenetic tree reconstructed based on single-copy orthologous genes and maximum likelihood analysis indicated that Chenopodium petiolare is most closely related to Chenopodium quinoa.

Plastid genome of Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima (poro-poro) from Huánuco, Peru.

Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima, known locally as poro-poro, is an important native fruit used in traditional Peruvian medicine with relevant agro-industrial and pharmaceutical potential for its antioxidant capacity for human health. However, to date, only a few genetic data are available, which limits exploring its genetic diversity and developing new genetic studies for its improvement. We report the poro-poro plastid genome to expand the knowledge of its molecular markers, evolutionary studies, molecular pathways, and conservation genetics. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome is 163,451 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, containing a large single-copy region of 85,525 bp and a small single-copy region of 13,518 bp, separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions (IR) of 32,204 bp, and the overall GC content was 36.87%. This cp genome contains 128 genes (110 genes were unique and 18 genes were found duplicated in each IR region), including 84 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA-coding genes, and 13 genes with introns (11 genes with one intron and two genes with two introns). The inverted repeat region boundaries among species were similar in organization, gene order, and content, with a few revisions. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed based on single-copy orthologous genes and maximum likelihood analysis demonstrates poro-poro is most closely related to Passiflora menispermifolia and Passiflora oerstedii. In summary, our study constitutes a valuable resource for studying molecular evolution, phylogenetics, and domestication. It also provides a powerful foundation for conservation genetics research and plant breeding programs. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the plastid genome of Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima from Peru.

Una nueva especie de Puya (Bromeliaceae) del norte de Perú / A new species of Puya (Bromeliaceae) from northern Peru

Mientras colectábamos en remotas regiones al norte del Departamento de Ancash (Perú), descubrimos una nueva especie, Puya tyleriana, la cual describimos e ilustramos en el presente trabajo. Esta especie tiene una apariencia distintiva con inflorescencias paniculadas, abiertas, de más de un metro de longitud. Las flores son sostenidas por brácteas más grandes que los pedicelos, sépalos densamente blanco-lanosos, corolas purpúreas ya anteras ligeramente excertas.

While collecting in remote region of northern Department Ancash (Peru), we discovered a new species, Puya tyleriana, which we here describe and illustrate. This species has a distinctive appearance with open, paniculate inflorescences over a meter in length. The flowers are subtended by only half as long as the pedicels, the sepals are densely white-lanate, and the corollas are deep purple with exserted anthers.

Three new endemic species of Cremastosperma (Annonaceae) from the Rio Marañon basin, Amazonas, Peru

Como resultado de los trabajos de campo realizados en el Departamento de Amazonas (Perú); y en avance a la revisión del género, describimos tres nuevas especies de Cremastosperma (Annonaceae): C. bullatum Pirie, C. yamayakatense Pirie y C. cenepense Pirie & Zapata, endémicas de la cuenca del río Marañon.

Subsequent to a field expedition to the Peruvian department of Amazonas, and in advance of a revision of the genus, three new species of Cremastosperma (Annonaceae), endemic to the Río Marañon basin in Peru, are described here: C. bullatum Pirie, C. yamayakatense Pirie and C. cenepense Pirie & Zapata.