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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.
Group:
Monocot
Estimated genome size:
Size:
0.5 m in height
Distribution:
The shores of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
227.85 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
13.26 kilobases
Assembly N50:
8 949.62 kilobases
Contig number:
3 107
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
Hifiasm
Genome Length:
10.54 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
99.5% [S: 11.3%, D: 88.0%]
BUSCO database:
viridiplantae
Thinopyrum distichum
Coastal Wheatgrass
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Importance:
It is the sole species of the genus that occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a wild relative of bread wheat and is a halophyte. If the genes conferring its ability to tolerate high levels of soil salinity can be transferred to commercial wheat, it has the potential to expand wheat production and increase food security.
Date Published:
2025-08-27
Photo credit:
© D. Richardson
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