Begonia flaviflora Hara (Begoniaceae): a new record to the flora of Bhutan

Plant monoecious, herbaceous, 30–80 cm tall. Rhizome oblong, 6–12 × 1–3 cm with several offsets giving rise to new shoots, adventitious roots growing from the rhizome. Stem erect, 20–40 cm long, with sparsely brownish pubescent, lowermost internodes 10–22 cm long and 6–7 mm wide, unbranching, 2–4 leaves per stem. Stipule persistent, ovate, 10–15 × 3–5 mm, papery, keeled, apex cuspidate (1–4 mm), margin entire. Leaves alternate; petiole cylindrical, 4–28 cm long, 3–8 mm thick, green, brownish pubescent surface; blade asymmetric, ovate to broadly ovate 10–20 × 8–23 cm, basifixed, apex acute to acuminate or shortly caudate, base deeply cordate, margin shallowly lobed and ciliate, venation palmate-reticulate, 7–8 veined; adaxial surface green or dark green with minute appressed white hairs, hairs less than 0.2mm long; abaxial surface glabrous, sparsely brownish pubescent on veins, green with purplish colour along the veins and towards the margin. Inflorescences cymose, 1–2, terminal or axillary on long stem with 1–2 internodes, 2–4 flowers per peduncle, erect; peduncles cylindrical, 8–15 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, green to red, brownish pubescent. Floral bracts narrowly ovate, 2–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, pinkish, glabrous, margin entire, base and apex truncate, adaxial surface is wrinkled and covered with soft hairs, veins numerous, decduous. Staminate flower: pedicel up to 3cm long, pale red to pale greenish-yellow, brownish pubescent; tepals 4, golden yellow, glabrous, margin entire; outer 2, deltoid, 15–19 × 12–16 mm, cucullate, upper tepal’s apex prominently recurved, lower tepal’s apex slightly recurved, base truncate, 10–12 veined; inner 2, ovate-elliptic, 12–14 × 7–9 mm, cucullate, apex rounded to sub-acute, base slightly oblique-truncate, 9–11 veined; stamens numerous, 2–3 mm long, filaments free, anther obovate-oblong, golden yellow. Pistillate flower: pedicel up to 3 cm long, pale yellowish-green, light pinkish-green, brownish pubescent; tepals 5, unequal, golden yellow, glabrous, margin entire to slightly wavy; outer 2, ovate, 7–11 × 5–7 mm, concave, apex acute, base truncate, 12–13 veined; inner 3, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 17.5–19 × 14–16 cm, concave, apex acute to subacute, base truncate; ovary yellowish-green, glabrous, with three unequal wings, 2 locules, placentation axillary, two branches per locule; styles 2, Y-shaped, 3–3.5 mm long, fused at base,golden yellow; stigma spiraled, papillose all around. Capsule trigonous-globose, 7–11 × 6–8 mm, yellowish-green; longest wing obovoid-oblong, 1.5–1.7 × 1.5–1.7 cm, slightly falcate at apex, crenate, narrow towards base, lateral wings 1.6–2.2 × 0.4–0.6 cm, tuberculate on surface of the ovary including its wings. Seeds numerous, white when young, oblong, c. 0.2–0.3 × c. 0.2 mm.

Specimens examined: THIM15583, 10 August 2019, Shingkhar, Zhemgang, Bhutan, 27.1520N, 90.8750E, 1,914–2,399 m, P. Gyeltshen & S. Sherab 012–013.

Posted on 30 July, 2022 16:52 by phubgyeltshen phubgyeltshen

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