Abstract
The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Ilex chinensis, an important economic plant with ornamental and ecological values, was sequenced to investigate its phylogenetic relationship. The entire cp genome of I. chinensis was 157,885 bp in length with 37.61% overall GC content, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,289 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,388 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 52,208 bp. The cp genome contained 135 genes, including 90 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole cp genome sequences showed that I. chinensis was closely related to I. szechwanensis and I. viridis species.