Background Ferula L. is one of the largest and most taxonomically complicated genera as well as being an important medicinal plant resource in the family Apiaceae. To investigate the plastome features and phylogenetic relationships of Ferula and its neighboring genera Soranthus Ledeb., Schumannia Kuntze., and Talassia Korovin, we sequenced 14 complete plastomes of 12 species.  Results The size of the 14 complete chloroplast genomes ranged from 165,607 to 167,013 base pairs (bp) encoding 132 distinct genes (87 protein-coding, 37 tRNA, and 8 rRNA genes), and showed a typical quadripartite structure with a pair of inverted repeats (IR) regions. Based on comparative analysis, we found that the 14 plastomes were similar in codon usage, repeat sequence, simple sequence repeats (SSRs), and IR borders, and had significant collinearity. Based on our phylogenetic analyses, Soranthus, Schumannia, and Talassia should be considered synonymous with Ferula. Six highly divergent regions (rps16/trnQ-UUG, trnS-UGA/psbZ, psbH/petB, ycf1/ndhF, rpl32, and ycf1) were also detected, which may represent potential molecular markers, and combined with selective pressure analysis, the weak positive selection gene ccsA may be a discriminating DNA barcode for Ferula species. Conclusion Plastids contain abundant informative sites for resolving phylogenetic relationships. Combined with previous studies, we suggest that there is still much room for improvement in the classification of Ferula. Overall, our study provides new insights into the plastome evolution, phylogeny, and taxonomy of this genus.

Currently, the genetic resources of plants are on the verge of gradual disappearance, called genetic erosion. The erosion of genetic diversity implies the loss of diverse genes in individual plant species. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the collection and conservation of genetic resources of endangered plants for future use. The aim of this study is to research the natural coenopopulation of the ancestral species of cultivated plant, Allium oschaninii in the mountains of Uzbekistan. Field studies were conducted in nine coenopopulations in the Turkestan, Gissar, and Alai ranges. For each coenopopulation, a phytocoenotic characteristic given on the sites of 100 m2. When determining the structure of A. oschaninii and the characteristics of the coenopopulation, transects from 10 to 30 sites of 1 m2 were established. The condition of the coenopopulation was assessed by the age structure of A. oschaninii and using a demographic indicator. We found that the condition of the coenopopulation is normal, but incomplete. The condition of the coenopopulations 1, 8, 9 is under threat due to anthropogenic load (overgrazing) and unfavorable factors of the ecotype. The ontogenetic spectrum is centered with a peak on average generative individuals and does not coincide with the characteristic one. Coenopopulations with a left-sided type, with a predominance of juvenile individuals, are formed on stony-gravelly, fine-grained gravel, and soft-soil mountain plains. By biological nature, the ontogenetic spectrum of A. oschaninii is left- sided, with an absolute maximum on one of the pregenerative groups. According to the demographic indicators, in diverse communities and in low-mountain and medium-category habitats and in a static substrate with grazing, the coenopopulation is young, mature, and in a transitional state.

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