Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of the woody sow-thistle, Sonchus leptocephalus (Asteraceae) endemic to the Canary Islands.

Sonchus leptocephalus belongs to a core member of the woody Sonchus alliance endemic to the Macaronesian Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The alliance has been subject to intensive investigations of adaptive radiation on oceanic islands. As an attempt to fully understand the patterns and processes of evolution in this group, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of S. leptocephalus endemic to the Canaries. It was 152,406 bp in length, comprising 84,331 bp of large single copy and 18,583 bp of small single copy separated by 24,746 bp of inverted repeats. A total of 130 genes were determined including 87 protein-coding genes, 6 ribosomal RNA, and 37 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed its position within the woody Sonchus alliance.