Begonia ferox

Begonia ferox

B. ferox)

Quick Species Info

Species	ferox
Region	Asia
Country	China
Year published	N/A
Date of Origin	N/A
Plant Type	Rhizomatous
Section
Chr 2n	30

Species Information

Description

- **Growth Habit:** Monoecious rhizomatous herb. - **Rhizome:** Stout, creeping, 1-2(−2.5) cm thick, up to 40 cm long, with internodes 1-1.5 cm long, villous near the base of the petiole. - **Stipules:** Eventually deciduous, ovate-triangular, 1-1.7 cm long, 1.1-1.5 cm wide, herbaceous, strongly keeled, abaxially hairy along the midrib, with an apex that is aristate, having an arista of about 0.2 cm long. - **Leaves:** Alternate, petioles are terete, 10-23(−27) cm long, 0.4-0.7 cm thick, villous when young and turning brownish tomentose. Leaf blade is asymmetric, ovate, (11-)14-19 cm long, 8-13 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and a strongly oblique-cordate base. The margin is repand, and the leaves are chartaceous, villous when young. Adaxially, the leaves are green, with a surface that is bullate. The intercostal area is densely dotted with blackish-brown and hair-tipped bullae. Each bulla is conical, with a reddish tip, measuring (0.3-)0.8-1.3 cm high and (0.3-)0.8-1.2(−1.5) cm across. Abaxially, the leaves are pale green, reddish on veins and bullae region, and tomentose on veins. Leaves of juvenile plants may have few or no bullae. - **Inflorescences:** Axillary, dichasial cymes, arising directly from the rhizome, and branched 3-4 times. Peduncles are 5-13 cm long and tomentose. Bracts and bracteoles are caducous, yellowish, with narrowly ovate bracts (1-1.2 cm long, 0.4-0.6 cm wide) and oblong bracteoles (about 0.3 cm long, 0.1 cm wide). - **Staminate Flower:** Pedicel is about 1.5 cm long. Tepals number 4, with outer 2 broadly ovate (0.9-1.1 cm long, 0.6-1 cm wide) and inner 2 elliptic, white (0.7-1.1 cm long, 0.4 cm wide). Androecium is actinomorphic and spherical, measuring about 0.4 cm across, with 65-85 stamens. Filaments are fused at the base into a column about 0.2 cm long, and anthers are obovate and 2-locular. - **Carpellate Flower:** Pedicel is 1.5-1.6 cm long. Tepals number 3, with outer 2 suborbicular or broadly ovate, pinkish-white (0.8-1.1 cm long, 0.7-1.1 cm wide) and inner 1 elliptic, white (0.8-0.9 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide). The ovary is trigonous-ellipsoid, measuring 1.3-1.4 cm long, about 0.4 cm thick (wings excluded), reddish, and 3-winged. The wings are unequal, greenish-yellow, with lateral wings that are narrower (0.4-0.5 cm tall) and an abaxial wing that is crescent-shaped, measuring about 0.6 cm tall and 1.5-1.6 cm wide. Styles number 3, fused at the base, and are yellow or greenish, measuring about 0.4 cm long, with a stigma that is spirally twisted. - **Capsule:** Trigonous-ellipsoid, 1–1.5 cm long, about 0.2-0.5 cm thick (wings excluded), greenish or reddish when fresh. The wings are unequal, with lateral wings that are 0.3-0.5 cm tall and an abaxial wing that is crescent-shaped and 0.6-0.9 cm tall. - **Seeds:** Numerous, brown, ellipsoid, about 0.5 mm long, and 0.3 mm thick.

Distribution and Ecology

Known only from the type locality in southwestern Guangxi, China. It grows on limestone rocks with abundant leaf litter or on bare rocky slopes in evergreen broadleaf forest. This species is very rare.

Phenology

Flowering occurs from January to May, and fruiting occurs from April to July.

Etymology

The specific epithet "ferox" is derived from the fierce-looking leaves with very prominent bullae.

Notes

Begonia ferox shares some similarities with B. nahangensis from Vietnam, but can be distinguished by several features, including leaf shape, tomentose peduncles, and larger stature in most vegetative parts. A detailed comparison of the two species is provided in Table 2.

References

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Photos

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