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Group:
Eudicot
Estimated genome size:
Up to 2 m in height
Size:
Up to 2 m in height
Distribution:
Endemic to the Western Cape Province, occurring from Stanford to Struisbaai in the Agulhas region.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
82.87 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
14.76 kilobases
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Genome Length:
0.43 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
95.3% [S: 89.2%, D: 6.1%]
Importance:
Erica plukenetii subsp. lineata is declining due to severe invasion by alien plants on the Agulhas Plain and is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. E. plukenetii is an important nectar source for the Cape Floristic Region endemic orange-breasted sunbird, making it ecologically significant. More broadly, Erica species hold cultural and historical value, with uses in crafts, traditional medicine, and other cultural practices.
Group:
Monocot
Estimated genome size:
Size:
The smallest species in this genus, typically growing up to 25–30 cm high. The flowers have a width of 0.2– 0.5 cm.
Distribution:
Western Cape, South Africa
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
93.6 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
11.32 kilobases
Assembly N50:
1 521.96 kilobases
Contig number:
3 001
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
Flye
Genome Length:
0.34 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
99.8% [S: 82.4%, D: 17.4%]
BUSCO database:
viridiplantae
Wachendorfia multiflora
Kleinrooikanol / Brown butterfly lily
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Importance:
Wachendorfia multiflora has asymmetrical flowers, with styles deflected either to the right or left, resulting in roughly equal numbers of right- and left-morph plants. A genome assembly of the sister species, Wachendorfia paniculata, has identified a hemizygous region present only in right-morph plants. A high-quality assembly of the W. multiflora genome will enable comparative genomics to investigate the evolution of this supergene locus.
Sample Contributor contact details:
Prof. Nicola Illing
University of Cape Town
Date Published:
2026-03-09
Photo credit:
© N. Illing
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