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Group:

Eudicot

Estimated genome size:

0.3 meters in height.

Size:

0.3 meters in height.

Distribution:

Found in grassland habitats across Southern Africa.

PromethION Sequencing Report:

Output:

122.04 Gigabases

Approximate N50:

9.24 kilobases

Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:

Genome Length:

2.75 Gigabases

BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):

99.6% [S: 60.8%, D: 38.8%]

Importance:

Some populations of this species in the Barberton region of South Africa have evolved the ability to hyperaccumulate nickel, making this species ideal for a comparative genomics approach to understand the evolution of this extreme phenotype.

Sample Contributor contact details:

Prof. Robert Ingle
University of Cape Town

Group:

Eudicot

Estimated genome size:

Size:

25 - 30 cm in height

Distribution:

The black pelargonium has a wide distribution. It occurs throughout the eastern Cape, Lesotho, Free State and southern and south western Gauteng in South Africa. It usually grows in short grassland and sometimes with occasional shrubs and trees on stony soil varying from sand to clay loam, shale or basalt.

PromethION Sequencing Report:

Output:

40.55 Gigabases

Approximate N50:

10.93 kilobases

Assembly N50:

12 895.83 kilobases

Contig number:

1 320

Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:

Assembler used:

Hifiasm

Genome Length:

1.45 Gigabases

BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):

99.8% [S: 5.4%, D: 94.4%]

BUSCO database:

viridiplantae

Pelargonium sidoides

Black Pelargonium

Species Card Details

Importance:

It is a well-known medicinal plant and is used by the pharmaceutical industry for the treatment of bronchitis. It is also utilized for a variety of folk-medicinal purposes, including the treatment of sore throats and congestion. Its tubers are harvested in the wild and exported for the international herbal medicine trade.

Sample Contributor contact details:

Dr Renée Prins
CenGen (Pty) Ltd

Date Published:

2025-10-29

Photo credit:

© F. Riegel

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