Begonia locii
Begonia locii
| Species | Begonia locii |
|---|---|
| Region | Vietnam (Lang Son Province, Huu Lung District) |
| Country | |
| Year published | N/A |
| Date of Origin | N/A |
| Plant Type | Rhizomatous |
| Section | |
| Chr 2n | 30 |
Species Information
Description
- **Growth Habit:** Herbaceous, monoecious, and rhizomatous. - **Rhizome:** Stout, creeping, up to 30 cm long, 0.8-1.6 (-2) cm thick, with subglabrous internodes. - **Stipules:** Deciduous, reddish to olive with red veins, ovate-triangular, 0.6-1.4 cm long, 0.5-0.85 cm wide, strongly keeled, sparsely velutinous along the midrib on the abaxial side, margin entire or sparsely ciliate-dentate, apex aristate with an arista of about 0.25 cm. - **Petioles:** Pale brownish-green to reddish, terete, (11-) 20-25 (-33) cm long, 0.3-0.6 cm thick, densely villous. - **Leaves:** Alternate, asymmetric, obliquely ovate, (9-) 11-22 cm long, 6.5-12.5 cm wide, with a broad side measuring 3.2-7.4 cm wide. Basal lobes are cordate and 3.3-6.6 cm long. The leaves are chartaceous, with an acuminate apex and a strongly obliquely cordate base. The margin is denticulate and densely puberulous with pale magenta hairs. Adaxially, the leaves are deep olive-green to maroon with light green zones along primary and secondary veins, sometimes embellished with small bits of silvery white spots. The upper surface is densely covered by small raised cones, each topped by a magenta hair, giving a wrinkled texture. Abaxially, the leaves are pale green, purplish red between primary and secondary veins, and reddish-white tomentose on all veins. Venation is palmate with 7-8 primary veins, a distinct midrib, 3-5 secondary veins on each side, and red tertiary veins, which are percurrent or reticulate. - **Inflorescences:** Axillary, arising directly from the rhizome, with dichasial cymes branched 3-4 times. Peduncles are 13-35 cm long, tomentose or subglabrous. Bracts and bracteoles are caducous, pale yellow-green, ovate to elliptic, or orbicular. - **Staminate Flower:** Pedicel is about 1 cm long. Tepals number 4, with outer 2 broadly ovate to orbicular (9-12 mm long, 8-11 mm wide) and inner 2 elliptic. Androecium is zygomorphic, subglobose, about 4 mm across, with 35-60 stamens. Filaments are fused at the base, and anthers are yellow, slightly compressed, obovate, and shorter than filaments. - **Pistillate Flower:** Pedicel is about 1 cm long. Tepals number 3, with outer 2 pinkish to white, suborbicular or broadly ovate (8-11 mm long, 8-12 mm wide), and inner 1 white, oblanceolate to obovate (6-10 mm long, 3-5 mm wide). The ovary is trigonous-ellipsoid, sometimes strongly keeled at the middle (7-12 mm long, 3-4.5 mm thick excluding wings), whitish, sparsely hirsute, and glandular. It has 3 wings: lateral wings are narrower, narrowly crescent-shaped to trapezium (2.5-6 mm wide), and the abaxial wing is crescent-shaped (4.5-7 mm wide). Styles number 3, fused at the base, yellow to greenish, and 3-4.5 mm long, with a spirally twisted stigma. - **Capsule:** Trigonous-ellipsoid, 10-15 mm long, 4-5 mm thick (wings excluded), greenish or reddish when fresh, glabrous to hirsute. The wings are unequal, with lateral wings measuring 4-6 mm wide and the abaxial wing crescent-shaped (6-7 mm wide).
Distribution and Ecology
Begonia locii is endemic to the Huu Lung Protected Area, Huu Lien District, Lang Son Province, Vietnam. It occurs on semi-shaded limestone rock faces at elevations of 125-165 m.
Etymology
Begonia locii is named in honor of Professor Phan Ke Loc for his contributions to Vietnamese botany.
Notes
Begonia locii shares some similarities with B. luochengensis and B. pengii in leaf shape and maculation pattern but can be distinguished by its percurrent and spiderweb-like leaf venation, densely covered upper leaf surface with small raised cones, and hirsute ovaries. Additionally, its bract margin is denticulate and glandular. A comparison of key characters of the three species, all belonging to sect. Coelocentrum, is provided in Table 4.
References
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