Botanical Studies (2006) 47: 89-96.

*

Corresponding author: E-mail: bopeng@sinica.edu.tw;

Fax: +886-2-2789-1623.

Novelties in

Begonia

sect.

Platycentrum

for China:

B.

crocea

, sp. nov. and

B. xanthina

Hook., a new distributional

record

Ching-I PENG

1

*, Wai-Chao LEONG

1

, and Yu-Min SHUI

2

1

Herbarium, Research Center for Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan

2

Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P. R. China

(Received August 18, 2005; Accepted December 3, 2005)

ABSTRACT.

Begonia crocea C.-I Peng, a new species from Yunnan province, China and B. xanthina Hook.,

a new distributional record for China are here reported and fully illustrated. Both of them are assignable

to Begonia sect. Platycentrum. Unlike the great majority of Chinese species with white to pink flowers, B.

crocea and B. xanthina are remarkable for bearing orange-red and yellow flowers respectively, which is of

much horticultural attraction. Begonia crocea resembles B. megalophyllaria in aspect, differing mainly in

having densely pilose petioles, the leaves being sparsely pilose abaxially, and having orange-red tepals. Plants

of B. megalophyllaria are glabrous throughout and their tepals are white, sometimes tinged greenish. Begonia

xanthina is somewhat similar to B. rex, a notable plant of tremendous horticultural interest, but is readily

distinguishable by the yellow tepals and leaves that lack long setose hairs and horseshoe-shaped maculation.

In B. rex the tepals are pinkish to pink and the leaves are setose and marked with a distinct grayish to pale

greenish horseshoe-shaped band on the adaxial surface.

Keywords: Begonia; Begonia crocea; Begonia megalophyllaria; Begonia rex; Begonia xanthina; China; New

distribution; New species; Plant taxonomy; Yunnan.

INTRODUCTION

In the course of preparing a taxonomic revision of

Begoniaceae for the Flora of China in recent years, the

senior author and his associates reported the discovery of

a number of new species in Begonia sect. Coelocentrum

[B. curvicarpa and B. luochengensis (Ku et al., 2004);

B. fangii (Peng et al., 2005c); B. liuyanii (Peng et al.,

2005b); B. picturata (Liu et al., 2005); B. ningmingensis,

B. ningmingensis var. bella and B. retinervia (Fang et al.,

2006)], B. sect. Diploclinium [B. chuyunshanensis and B.

tengchiana (Peng et al., 2005a)] and B. sect. Platycentrum

[ B. coptidifolia (Ye et al., 2004); B. bouffordii, B.

pinglinensis, B. wutaiensis (Peng et al., 2005a); B. rubinea

(Li et al., 2005)]. Nearly all of them are narrow endemics

and many are stunningly handsome plants. In this paper

we report an additional new species, Begonia crocea, and

a new distributional record, B. xanthina, both assignable

to B. sect. Platycentrum (cf. Shui et al., 2002), for China.

Unlike the great majority of Chinese species with white to

pink flowers, B. crocea and B. xanthina are remarkable for

bearing orange-red and yellow flowers respectively, and

thus are of much horticultural potential.

Description

1.

Begonia crocea C.-I Peng sp. nov. (B. sect.

Platycentrum) ¡V TYPE: CHINA. Yunnan Province,

Jiangcheng Xian, Jiahe Xiang, on moist rocky slope in

broad-leaved forest, 22¢X45¡¦03"N, 101¢X53¡¦33"E, elev.

1,200 m. Sterile living collection made on 11 Jun 2000;

type specimens (in flower and fruit) pressed from plants

cultivated in the experimental greenhouse at Academia

Sinica, 15 Aug 2005, Ching-I Peng 18032-A (holotype:

HAST; isotype: KUN). ¾íªá¬î®ü´Å ¡@ (Figures 1, 2)

Species nova similis Begoniae megalophyllariae C. Y.

Wu, sed foliis infra sparse pilosis, petiolis dense pilosis,

tepalis croceis facile distinguitur.

Herbs, perennial, acaulescent, monoecious. Rhizomes

elongate creeping, to 2 cm thick, pilose, internodes

congested. Stipules triangular, to 1.5 cm long, to 1 cm

wide, glabrous or pilose along midrib, margin entire, apex

cuspidate, caducous. Leaves fasciculate, alternate; petiole

green, reddish toward base, 34-41 cm long, 0.9-1 cm

thick, densely whitish pilose, denser toward junction with

leaf blade; leaf blade herbaceous, green, not variegated,

somewhat lustrous on adaxial surface, broadly ovate,

asymmetric, to 30.5 cm long, to 24 cm wide, sparsely

pilose along veins on abaxial surface, glabrous on adaxial

surface, base oblique, deeply cordate, not overlapping,

margin remotely minutely serrulate, apex acute; venation

TAXONOMY

90

Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

Figure 1. Begonia crocea C.-I Peng. A, Habit; B, Portion of petiole; C, Stipule; D, Young inflorescence, showing flower buds; E,

Bract; F, Staminate flower; G, Androecium, showing a short androphore; H, H¡¦, Stamens; I. Carpellate flower; J, J¡¦, Stigmas; K, Ovary,

cross section; L, Capsule. (All from the same plant from which the holotype, Ching-I Peng 18032-A, HAST, was taken.)

PENG et al. ¡X

Begonia crocea

and

B. xanthina

in China

91

Figure 2. Begonia crocea C.-I Peng. A, Habit; B, Leaf, showing upper surface; C, Distal portion of petiole; D, Inflorescence; E,

Inflorescence, showing rear surfaces of staminate flowers; F, staminate flower; G, Androecium; H, Carpellate flower, adaxial view;

I, Carpellate flower, lateral view; J, Fruit in early stage; K,

Middle cross section of immature capsule. (All from the same plant from

which the holotype, Ching-I Peng 18032-A, HAST, was taken.)

92

Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

palmate, 9-10-nerved. Inflorescences arising directly from

the rhizome, axillary, cymose, shorter than to nearly as tall

as leaves, 16-34 cm long, with 7-22 staminate flowers and

3-8 carpellate flowers; peduncle green, dotted with short

reddish lines, 12.5-25 cm long, 4-5.8 mm thick, glabrous;

bracts in pairs, reddish, ovate, to 2.1 cm long, to 1.2 cm

wide, glabrous, margin entire, apex acute. Flower buds

orange-red, lustrous and waxy, subglobose; tepals orange-

red, glabrous. Staminate flowers: pedicel greenish, orange-

red toward junction with flower, 1.2-1.8(-3.1) cm long,

glabrous; tepals 4, outer 2 ovate, 1.1-1.8 cm long, 1.1-1.4

cm wide, apex retuse, inner 2 elliptic or narrowly obovate,

1.1-1.8 cm long, 0.9-1.1 cm wide, apex obtuse to retuse;

androecium actinomorphic, shortly columnar, ca. 7.5 mm

long and thick, stamens ca. 100 or more, yellow, filaments

2.5-3.5 mm long, basally fused into a short androphore,

anthers fusiform to obovate, 1.5-4.5 mm long, connective

extended, apex acuminate. Carpellate flowers: pedicel

greenish, 1.3-1.5 cm long, glabrous; tepals 5, subequal,

obovate, 1-1.2 cm long, 0.8-1 cm wide, apex obtuse or

retuse; ovary greenish at anthesis, ellipsoid, unequally

3-winged, glabrous, 2-locular; placentae axile, bilamellate;

styles 2, yellow, 2-cleft, 5-5.6 mm long, free; stigmas in

a strongly spiraled band. Infructescences 17-36 cm long;

capsules nodding, unequally 3-winged, abaxial wing

narrowly oblong, 17-18 mm long, 8-8.5 mm wide, apex

obtuse, lateral wings much smaller, 6.5-7 mm long. Seeds

numerous, ca. 0.3 mm long, chalazal end rounded, lip of

seed nipple-shaped, micropylar end constricted.

Distribution. Known only from Jiangcheng Xian,

Yunnan Province, China; at ca. 1,200 m altitude (Figure 3).

Notes. Begonia crocea is one of the very few

species in Asia with orange-red tepals. It resembles B.

megalophyllaria in aspect, differing mainly in having

densely pilose petioles, the leaves being sparsely

pilose abaxially and having orange-red tepals. Begonia

megalophyllaria is glabrous throughout and its tepals are

white, sometimes tinged greenish. The specific epithet is

derived from the orangey red tepals. A comparison of the

salient characters of the two species is shown in Table 1.

2.

Begonia xanthina Hook., Bot. Mag. 78. t. 4683. 1852.

¶Àä¬î®ü´Å (Figures 4, 5)

Herbs, perennial, acaulescent, monoecious. Rhizomes

elongate creeping, to 2 cm thick, pilose, internodes

congested. Stipules triangular, to 1.9 cm long, to 0.9

cm wide, abaxially puberulent, sometimes pilose on

midrib, margin entire, apex acuminate, caducous. Leaves

fasciculate, alternate; petiole reddish brown, shallowly

several grooved, 17-37 cm long, 0.9-1.4 cm thick, whitish

pilose and densely puberulent; leaf blade herbaceous, dull,

reddish on abaxial surface, dark green with pale green

and grayish spots between main veins on adaxial surface,

ovate to narrowly so, asymmetric, 24-36 cm long, 13.5-23

cm wide, sparsely pilose along veins on abaxial surface,

sparsely setulose on adaxial surface, base oblique, deeply

cordate, sometimes slightly overlapping, margin remotely

minutely serrulate, somewhat ciliate, apex acute; venation

palmate, 7- or 8-nerved. Inflorescences arising directly

from rhizome, axillary, cymose, shorter than or as tall

as leaves, 15-19.5 cm long, with 6-10 staminate flowers

and 3-6 carpellate flowers; peduncle reddish or greenish,

11.5-15 cm long, 3-5 mm thick, glabrous; bracts in pairs,

reddish, ovate or broadly so, 2-2.2 cm long, 1.8-2 cm

wide, glabrous, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Flower buds greenish yellow, sometimes tinged brownish,

ovoid; tepals yellow, glabrous. Staminate flowers: pedicel

yellowish green, 2.7-4.2 cm long; tepals 4, outer 2 ovate,

1.5-2 cm long, 0.9-1.3 cm wide, apex obtuse, inner 2

narrowly obovate to broadly oblanceolate, 1.7-1.9 cm

long, 0.6-1 cm wide, apex obtuse or crenate; androecium

actinomorphic, shortly columnar, ca. 8 mm long, ca. 6 mm

thick, stamens 80-160, yellow, filaments 2.5-4 mm long,

basally fused into a short androphore, anthers fusiform

to obovate, 1-4.5 mm long, connective extended, apex

acuminate. Carpellate flowers: pedicel greenish, 1.5-2.8

cm long, glabrous; tepals 5, unequal, obovate, apex obtuse

or retuse, outer tepals 1.8-2.1 cm long, 1.0-1.1 cm wide,

inner tepals narrowly obovate, 1.7-1.8 cm long, 7-8 mm

wide, apex retuse or crenate; ovary greenish at anthesis,

ellipsoid, unequally 3-winged, glabrous, 2-locular;

placentae axile, bilamellate, styles 2, yellow, 2-cleft,

3.5-4.5 mm long, free; stigmas in a strongly spiraled

band. Infructescences 42-47 cm long; capsules nodding,

unequally 3-winged, abaxial wing ligulate or falcate,

18-22 mm long, 14-16 mm wide, apex obtuse or bluntly

truncate, lateral wings much narrower, 6-9 mm long.

Seeds numerous, ca. 0.3 mm long, chalazal end rounded,

lip of seed nipple-shaped, micropylar end constricted.

Specimens examined. CHINA, Yunnan Province,

Yingjiang Xian, Nabang, Tongbiguan Nature Reserve,

along hiking trail from Mengnaihe Power Station to

Batou, ca. 1 km NE of the power station, on rock in

shaded, moist, evergreen broad-leaved forest, 24¢X43¡¦01"

N, 97¢X35¡¦00", elev. ca. 300 m, 31 Oct 2002, Ching-I Peng

19062 (HAST).

Figure 3. Distribution of Begonia crocea (

„\

) and B. xanthina

(¡¶) in Yunnan Province, China.

PENG et al. ¡X

Begonia crocea

and

B. xanthina

in China

93

Figure 4. Begonia xanthina Hook. A, Habit; B, Portion of petiole; C, Leaf, adaxial surface, C¡¦, Abaxial surface; D, Stipule; E, Bract; F,

Staminate flower; G, Androecium; H, H¡¦, Stamens; I, Carpellate flower; J, J¡¦, Stigmas; K, Ovary, cross section; L, Capsule. (From the

same plant from which Ching-I Peng 19062 was taken.)

94

Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

Figure 5. Begonia xanthina Hook. A, Habit; B, Leaf; C, Leaf, adaxial surface; D, Inflorescence; E, Staminate flower bud; F, Staminate

flower, adaxial view; G, Staminate flower, abaxial view; H, Androecium; I, Carpellate flower, adaxial view; J, Carpellate flower, lateral

view; K, Capsule; L, Ovary, cross section of material preserved in FAA. (A, B from the actual specimen Ching-I Peng 19062 before it

was pressed; C-L from the same plant from which Ching-I Peng 19062 was taken.)

PENG et al. ¡X

Begonia crocea

and

B. xanthina

in China

95

Distribution. India (Darjeeling and Sikkim: Grierson,

1991); a new distributional record for China (Figure 3).

Notes. Begonia xanthina is similar to B. rex, b ut is

readily distinguishable by the yellow tepals and the

leaves that lack long setose hairs and horseshoe-shaped

maculation. In B. rex the tepals are pinkish to pink and

the leaves are setose and marked with a distinct grayish

to pale greenish horseshoe-shaped band on the adaxial

surface. A comparison of the salient characters of the two

species is shown in Table 1.

Acknowledgements. We thank Nicholas J. Turland, Mark

Hughes and Jack Golding for improving the manuscript;

Qiner Yang for the Latin diagnosis; Ya-Wen Hsueh for

the handsome line drawings; Shin-Ming Ku for technical

assistance in the color plates; and Wen-Pen Leu, Yi Tao

Liu, Mincho Peng, and Mao-Lun Weng for accompanying

us in the field. This study was supported in part by the

National Science Council, Taiwan and Research Center

for Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Taipei to Ching-I Peng.

LITERATURE CITED

Fang, D., S. M. Ku, Y. G. Wei, D. H. Qin, and C.-I Peng. 2006.

Three new taxa of Begonia (sect. Coelocentrum, Begonia-

ceae) from limestone areas in Guangxi, China. Bot. Stud.

47: 97-110.

Grierson, A. J. C. 1991. Begoniaceae. In A. J. C. Grierson and

D. G. Long (eds.), Flora of Bhutan, vol. 2, part 1. Royal

Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, pp. 237-246.

Ku, S. M., C.-I Peng, and Y. Liu. 2004. Notes on Begonia (sect.

Coelocentrum, Begoniaceae) from Guangxi, China, with

the report of two new species . Bot. Bull. Acad. S in. 45:

Table 1. Comparison of Begonia crocea, B. megalophyllaria, B. xanthina and B. rex.

Begonia crocea B. megalophyllaria

B. xanthina

B. rex

Stipule

Glabrous or pilose

along midrib

Glabrous

Puberulent, sometimes

pilose along midrib

Glabrous

Leaf

Texture

Lustrous

Lustrous

Dull

Dull

Maculation

Absent

Absent

Pa

le green spots in

intercostal areas on

adaxial surface

On

e pale grayish green

horseshoe-shaped band

on adaxial surface

Abaxial surface

color

Greenish

Greenish

Reddish

Reddish

Shape

Broadly ovate

Broadly ovate

Ovate to narrowly so Narrowly to broadly ovate

Size (cm)

to 30.5 ¡Ñ 24

to 34 ¡Ñ 24-26.5

24-36 ¡Ñ 13.5-23 6-33 ¡Ñ 5-21

Indumentum

Petiole

Densely pilose Glabrous

Pilose and densely

puberulent

Glabrous to sparsely pilose

and densely puberulent

Adaxial surface Glabrous

Glabrous

Sparsely setulose and

puberulent

Sparsely setulose,

puberulent and often long

setose

Abaxial surface Sparsely pilose

along nerves

Glabrous

Sparsely pilose and

puberulent along

nerves

Glabrous to sparsely pilose

and puberulent along

nerves

Flower buds

Shape

Subglobose

Subglobose

Ovoid

Ovoid

Texture

Lustrous & waxy Lustrous & waxy

Not lustrous & waxy Not lustrous & waxy

Tepals

Orange-red

White, sometimes tinged

greenish toward base

Yellow

Pinkish to pink

Anther connective Extended,

acuminate at apex

Extended, acuminate at

apex

Extended, acuminate

at apex

Extended, acuminate at

apex

96

Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

353-367.

Li, H.Z., H. Ma, K.Y. Guan, and C.-I P eng. 2005. B egonia

rubinea (sect. Platycentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species

from Guizhou, China. Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin. 46: 377-383.

Liu, Y., S.-M. Ku and C.-I Peng. 2005. Begonia picturata (sect.

Coelocentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species from limestone

areas in Guangxi, China. Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin. 46: 367-376.

Peng, C.-I, Y.K. Chen, and W.C. Leong. 2005a. Five new species

of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from Taiwan. Bot. Bull. Acad.

Sin. 46: 255-272.

Peng, C.-I, S.M. Ku,

and W.C. Leong. 2005b. Begonia liuyanii

(s ect. Coelocentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species from

limestone areas in Guangxi, China. Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin.

46: 245-254.

P eng, C.-I, Y.M. S hui, Y. Liu, and S.M. Ku. 2005c. Begonia

fangii (sect. Coelocentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species

from limestone areas in Guangxi, China. Bot. Bull. Acad.

Sin. 46: 83-89.

S hu i, Y. M., C.-I P eng , and C .Y. Wu. 2002 . Sy nops is of

the Chinese s pecies of Begonia (Begoniaceae), wi th a

reappraisal of the sectional delimitation. Bot. Bull. Acad.

Sin. 43: 313-327.

Ye, H. G., F. G. Wang, Y. S. Ye, and C.-I Peng. 2004. Begonia

coptidifolia (Begoniaceae), a new species from China. Bot.

Bull. Acad. Sin. 45: 259-266.

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