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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:

0.6 meters (height)

Distribution:

Boegoekaroo occurs across the arid interior Karoo regions of South Africa. It occurs from the Namaqualand, through the Great Karoo and Little Karoo, into the Eastern Cape Province.

PromethION Sequencing Report:

Output:

87.6 Gigabases

Approximate N50:

14.09 kilobases

Assembly N50:

2 965.24 kilobases

Contig number:

4 145

Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:

Assembler used:

Hifiasm

Genome Length:

4.89 Gigabases

BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):

99.3% [S: 79.3%, D: 20.0%]

BUSCO database:

viridiplantae

Pteronia glauca

Boegoekaroo

Species Card Details

Importance:

This species is an iconic pasture plant of South Africa's dry interior (the Karoo). Its leaves have a pungent yet pleasantly herbal aroma when bruised. This aromatic flavour is associated with the distinctive taste of Karoo lamb. It is one of the bushes in the sheep’s diet considered necessary for producing certified Karoo lamb, as formally recognised in Government Gazette No. 49556.

Sample Contributor contact details:

Renée Prins
CenGen

Date Published:

2025-08-27

Photo credit:

© G. Laidler

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