Begonia picta Sm., 1805

Camfield, Rebecca & Hughes, Mark, 2018, A revision and one new species of Begonia L. (Begoniaceae, Cucurbitales) in Northeast India, European Journal of Taxonomy 396, pp. 1-116 : 76-78

Begonia picta Sm. [sect. Diploclinium ]

Figs 48–49

Exotic Botany 2: 81 ( Smith 1805). – Type: Nepal, 21 Jul. 1802, Buchanan-Hamilton (lecto-: BM000043985, here designated).

Begonia echinata Royle, Illustrations of the botany and other branches of the natural history of the Himalayan Mountains: and of the flora of Cashmere: 313 ( Royle 1839). – Type: Royle (1839) tab. 80 [illustration].

Citations in other publications

As B. picta: Don (1825: 223) , Hooker (1830: 2962), Wallich (1831: 129, 3685), Clarke (1879: 638), Clarke (1881: 118), Haines (1925: 400), Kanjilal (1938: 334), Fischer (1938: 98), Mooney (1950: 68), Kitamura (1955: 183), Deb (1961: 285), Nakao (1964: 140, fig. 184), Hara (1966: 215), Hara (1971: 84), Ghazanfar & Aziz (1976: 96), Hara et al. (1979: 182), Grierson (1991: 242), Chauhan (2000: 425), Kumar (2002: 650), Kress et al. (2003: 171), Panda & Das (2004: 159), Gu et al. (2007: 192), Uddin (2007: 594), Hughes (2008: 100), Dash (2010: 38).

Other material

INDIA: Arunachal-Pradesh: Mariyang to Takekpong, Rao 17795 (ASSAM n.v.); Paji, Dash 32492 ( ARUN n.v.). Manipur: Karong, 30 Sep. 1950, Koelz 26363 ( MICH). Meghalaya: Khasi Hills, Cherrapunji, 6 Jul. 1952, Koelz 30209A ( MICH); ibid., 29 Jul. 1946, Ward 16048 ( BM). Nagaland: Naga Hills, Takubama, 24 Aug. 1950, Koelz 25892 ( MICH).

Description

Tuberous, erect, monoecious herb, 10 –15(–25) cm high. Stem: not always present, slender, 2–4 mm wide, puberulous, internodes 5–12 cm long. Stipules: lanceolate, 1–3 × 1 mm, sparsely puberulous, semi persistent. Leaves: petiole 5–12(–20) cm long, sparsely puberulous; lamina ovate-orbicular to broadly triangular, basifixed, base shallowly cordate to subtruncate, 3–16 × 2–13 cm, slightly asymmetric, upper surface green or green with red about the veins, pale pilose all over, lower surface green or mottled with red, puberulous on veins only, venation palmate-pinnate, midrib 2–15 cm long; margin double-dentate to denticulate, with hairs; apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescence: cymose, terminal, few; peduncle pilose, branching twice, primary 3–12 cm, secondary 1–4 cm, with 2– 4 female and 2– 6 male flowers; bracts lanceolate, 3–4 × 1–2 mm, margin with dense hairs, entire. Male flower: pedicel 9–14 mm long, villose; tepals 4; outer tepals sub-orbicular, 6–10 × 6–10 mm, white or pink, pilose on reverse, margin serrate, with hairs; inner tepals elliptic, 5–10 × 3–7 mm, white or pink, glabrous, entire; androecium with 25–35 stamens, symmetric; filaments 2 mm long, equal, slightly fused at base; anther oblong elliptic, 1–2 mm long, dehiscing through short slits near the tip, hooded, connective not extended. Female flower: pedicel 8–12 mm long, pilose; bracteoles absent; tepals (4–)5, equal, obovate-orbicular, outer tepals 4–6 × 3–4 mm, pink to white, glabrous or sparsely pilose on reverse, margin with hairs, inner tepals similar yet smaller, 5 th tepal if present like male inner tepals; ovary 3-locular, placentae bifid, capsule oblong-ellipsoid, 4 × 2 mm, white branched villose, with one long triangular wing and two short triangular wings; styles 3, deeply forked once and twisted once. Fruit: pendulous; capsule oblongellipsoid, 10–13 × 7–9 mm, with white branched hairs; wings extending along the pedicel, unequal, triangular; longest wing triangular, 19–24 × 11–17 mm; shortest wings triangular 7–12 × 7–11 mm.

Distribution and phenology

Arunachal-Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland; also in China, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Myanmar; 1000–2150 m. Flowering: July to September; fruiting: August to October.

Conservation status

Least Concern ( Hughes 2008). Begonia picta is a widespread species that is commonly collected from the Himalayas, with no significant change in recent years to warrant a change in its status.

Remarks

This is a very variable species but can be distinguished by the large triangular-winged fruit covered in long white branched hairs and tepals with a serrate margin. Begonia wattii also has leaves with dark variegation along the veins, but they are more asymmetric and the fruits differ from those of B. picta in having two of the wings very much reduced.