The Smilacaceae is a cosmopolitan family consisting of 200–370 described species. The family includes two widely accepted genera, namely
Smilax and
Heterosmilax. Among them, the taxonomical status of
Heterosmilax has been continuously challenged. Seven
Smilax and two
Heterosmilax species can be found
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The Smilacaceae is a cosmopolitan family consisting of 200–370 described species. The family includes two widely accepted genera, namely
Smilax and
Heterosmilax. Among them, the taxonomical status of
Heterosmilax has been continuously challenged. Seven
Smilax and two
Heterosmilax species can be found in Hong Kong, with most of them having medicinal importance. This study aims to revisit the infra-familial and inter-familial relationships of the Smilacaceae using complete chloroplast genomes. The chloroplast genomes of the nine Smilacaceae species from Hong Kong were assembled and annotated, which had sizes of 157,885 bp to 159,007 bp; each of them was identically annotated for 132 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 38 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. The generic status of
Heterosmilax was not supported because it was nested within the
Smilax clade in the phylogenetic trees, echoing previous molecular and morphological studies. We suggest delimitating the genus
Heterosmilax as a section under the genus
Smilax. The results of phylogenomic analysis support the monophyly of Smilacaceae and the exclusion of
Ripogonum from the family. This study contributes to the systematics and taxonomy of monocotyledons, authentication of medicinal Smilacaceae, and conservation of plant diversity.
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