TITLE	Synopsis of the Chinese species of Begonia (Begoniaceae), with a reappraisal of sectional delimitation
AUTHOR	Yu-Min Shui Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China Ching-I Peng Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan Cheng-Yih Wu Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China
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ABSTRACT	Nine sections of Begonia are recognized and illustrated based on the 150 species known from the Chinese region. They are sect. Coelocentrum Irmsch., sect. Petermannia (Klotzsch) A. DC., sect. Alicida C.B. Clarke, sect. Diploclinium (Wight) A. DC., sect. Reichenheimia (Klotzsch) A. DC., sect. Parvibegonia A. DC., sect. Platycentrum (Klotzsch) A. DC., sect. Sphenanthera (Hassk.) Warb. and sect. Leprosae (T.C. Ku) Y.M. Shui (combination made here). Section Leprosae is characterized by the trilocular, wingless, clavate, berry-like fruits. Based on a detailed analysis of fruits and placentae, the sectional placement of many species of Chinese Begonia is realigned. Relationships among the sections are discussed: sect. Coelocentrum is likely to represent one of the most ancient groups in the genus Begonia; sect. Diploclinium, a complex group, is related to several sections; sect. Sphenanthera is an entomochoric and entomophilous group; sect. Leprosae is intermediate between sections Sphenanthera and Diploclinium. Begonia tessaricarpa C.B. Clarke (sect. Sphenanthera), from Xizang, is documented here as a new record for China.
KEYWORD	Begonia; China; Sections; Taxonomy;
ARTICLE INFO	Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 43 Number 4 October 2002, page 313-327, 15 pages
PUBLISHER	Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China