Costus pulverulentus genome annotations

<p><span>The spiral gingers (<em>Costus</em> L.) are a pantropical genus of herbaceous perennial monocots; the Neotropical clade of <em>Costus</em> radiated rapidly in the past few million years into over 60 species. The Neotropical spiral gingers have a rich history of evolutionary and ecological research that can motivate and inform modern genetic investigations. Here, we present the first two chromosome-level genome assemblies in the genus, for <em>C. pulverulentus</em> and <em>C. lasius</em>, and briefly compare their synteny. We assembled the <em>C. pulverulentus</em> genome from a combination of short-read data, Chicago and Dovetail Hi-C chromatin-proximity sequencing, and alignment with a linkage map. We assembled the <em>C. lasius</em> genome with Pacific Biosciences HiFi long reads and alignment to the <em>C</em>. <em>pulverulentus</em> genome. These two assemblies are the first published genomes for non-cultivated tropical plants. These genomes solidify the spiral gingers as a model system and will facilitate research on the poorly understood genetic basis of tropical plant diversification. </span></p>