Begonia ferox: Difference between revisions

**Quick Species Info**
Species	ferox
Region	East Asia
Country	China
Year published	2013
Date of Origin	Not specified
Plant Type	rhizomatous
Section	Coelocentrum
Chr 2n	2n = 30

Revision as of 11:55, 13 September 2023

Begonia ferox

Species Information

Classification and Distribution

Begonia ferox is a monoecious, rhizomatous herb found in Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, specifically in Longzhou County, Chunxiu Headwater Forest Nature Reserve, China. It grows on the forest floor and limestone rock surfaces at an elevation of around 130 meters.

Characteristics

This begonia species has a stout, creeping rhizome that can be 1-2.5 cm thick and up to 40 cm long. The stipules are deciduous, ovate-triangular, and herbaceous, with a keeled structure and some hairiness on the abaxial side. The leaves are alternate, ovate, and asymmetric. The upper leaf surface is green with a bullate (bubble-like) texture. The intercostal area is densely dotted with blackish-brown and hair-tipped bullae. These bullae are conical, reddish at the tip, and can be 0.3-1.5 cm high and 0.3-1.2 cm across. The abaxial leaf surface is pale green with reddish veins and bullae, and it is tomentose on the veins. Juvenile plants may have few or no bullae on their leaves.

Flower Details

- Staminate flowers: These flowers have four tepals, with the outer two being broadly ovate and yellowish-reddish on the abaxial side. The androecium is actinomorphic and spherical, with numerous stamens. - Pistillate flowers: These flowers have three tepals, with the outer two being suborbicular or broadly ovate and pinkish-white. The ovary is trigonous-ellipsoid and 3-winged, with unequal greenish-yellow wings.

Chromosome Cytology

The somatic chromosome number of Begonia ferox is 2n = 30. There is a bimodal variation in chromosome length, with two longer metacentric chromosomes.

Ecology and Distribution

Begonia ferox is known only from its type locality in southwestern Guangxi, China. It typically grows on limestone rocks with abundant leaf litter or on bare rocky slopes in evergreen broadleaf forests, but it is very rare.

Phenology

This species flowers from January to May and fruits from April to July.

Etymology

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

Notes

Begonia ferox resembles B. nahangensis from Vietnam in the bullate leaves but differs in various characteristics, including leaf shape, petiole tomentosity, and overall size.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Begonia ferox ==
 <div class="infobox-container">
      <div class="infobox">
-         [[File:Ferox1.jpeg|thumb|center|B. ferox)]]
+         [[File:Begonia_ferox.jpg|thumb|center| B. ferox]]
          {{Infoboxsp
          | species = ferox
-         | region = Asia
+         | region = East Asia
          | country = China
-         | year_published = N/A
+         | year_published = 2013
-         | Date_of_Origin = N/A
+         | Date_of_Origin = Not specified
-         | plant_type = Rhizomatous
+         | plant_type = rhizomatous
-         | Chr_2n = 30
+        | section = Coelocentrum
+         | Chr_2n = 2n = 30
          }}
      </div>
@@ Line 16: / Line 18: @@
 <div class="main-content">
 === Species Information ===
-==== Description ====
+==== Classification and Distribution ====
-- **Growth Habit:** Monoecious rhizomatous herb.
+Begonia ferox is a monoecious, rhizomatous herb found in Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, specifically in Longzhou County, Chunxiu Headwater Forest Nature Reserve, China. It grows on the forest floor and limestone rock surfaces at an elevation of around 130 meters.
-- **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.
+==== Characteristics ====
-- **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.
+This begonia species has a stout, creeping rhizome that can be 1-2.5 cm thick and up to 40 cm long. The stipules are deciduous, ovate-triangular, and herbaceous, with a keeled structure and some hairiness on the abaxial side. The leaves are alternate, ovate, and asymmetric. The upper leaf surface is green with a bullate (bubble-like) texture. The intercostal area is densely dotted with blackish-brown and hair-tipped bullae. These bullae are conical, reddish at the tip, and can be 0.3-1.5 cm high and 0.3-1.2 cm across. The abaxial leaf surface is pale green with reddish veins and bullae, and it is tomentose on the veins. Juvenile plants may have few or no bullae on their leaves.
-- **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 ====
+==== Flower Details ====
-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.
+- Staminate flowers: These flowers have four tepals, with the outer two being broadly ovate and yellowish-reddish on the abaxial side. The androecium is actinomorphic and spherical, with numerous stamens.
+- Pistillate flowers: These flowers have three tepals, with the outer two being suborbicular or broadly ovate and pinkish-white. The ovary is trigonous-ellipsoid and 3-winged, with unequal greenish-yellow wings.
+==== Chromosome Cytology ====
+The somatic chromosome number of Begonia ferox is 2n = 30. There is a bimodal variation in chromosome length, with two longer metacentric chromosomes.
+==== Ecology and Distribution ====
+Begonia ferox is known only from its type locality in southwestern Guangxi, China. It typically grows on limestone rocks with abundant leaf litter or on bare rocky slopes in evergreen broadleaf forests, but it is very rare.
 ==== Phenology ====
-Flowering occurs from January to May, and fruiting occurs from April to July.
+This species flowers from January to May and fruits from April to July.
 ==== Etymology ====
@@ Line 39: / Line 44: @@
 ==== 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.
+Begonia ferox resembles B. nahangensis from Vietnam in the bullate leaves but differs in various characteristics, including leaf shape, petiole tomentosity, and overall size.
-=== References ===
-- (Add references if available)
-=== Photos ===
-[[File:Feroxillustation.png|thumb|center| (IMAGE INFO)]]
-=== External Links ===
 [[Category:Species]]
 [[Category:Begonia Type]]
 [[Category:China]]