The draft genome of Spiraea crenata L. – the first complete genome of Spiraeeae

<p><em>Spiraea crenata</em> L. is a deciduous shrub distributed across the Eurasian steppe zone. The species is of cultural and horticultural importance and occurs in scattered populations throughout its westernmost range. Currently, there is no genomic information on the tribe of Spiraeeae. Therefore, we sequenced and assembled the whole genome of <em>S. crenata</em> using second- and third-generation sequencing and a hybrid assembly approach to expand genomic resources for conservation and support research on this horticulturally important lineage. In addition to the organellar genomes (i.e., the plastome and the mitochondrion), we present the first draft genome of the species with an estimated size of 220 Mbp, an N50 value of 7.7 Mbp, and a BUSCO score of 96.0%. Being the first complete genome of Spiraeeae, this may not only be the first step in the genomic study of a rare plant, but also a contribution to genomic resources supporting the study of biodiversity and evolutionary history of the Rosaceae.</p>