The first high-altitude autotetraploid haplotype-resolved genome assembled (Rhododendron nivale subsp. boreale) provides new insights into mountaintop adaptation.

We assembled the first high-altitude autopolyploid genome and achieved chromosome-level assembly within the subgenus Rhododendron. In addition, a high-altitude adaptation strategy of R. nivale subsp. boreale was reasonably speculated. This study provides valuable data for the exploration of alpine mountaintop adaptations and the correlation between extreme environments and species polyploidization.