The chloroplast genome of Phalaenopsis aphrodite (Orchidaceae): comparative analysis of evolutionary rate with that of grasses and its phylogenetic implications.

Whether the Amborella/Amborella-Nymphaeales or the grass lineage diverged first within the angiosperms has recently been debated. Central to this issue has been focused on the artifacts that might result from sampling only grasses within the monocots. We therefore sequenced the entire chloroplast genome (cpDNA) of Phalaenopsis aphrodite, Taiwan moth orchid.