Begonia inobongensis Kiew, 2015

Repin, Rimi, Sang, Julia, Kiew, Ruth & Mujih, Handry, 2015, Eleven new species of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from the Crocker Range, Sabah, Malaysia, Phytotaxa 208 (1), pp. 1-20 : 12-13

7. Begonia inobongensis Kiew , spec. nov. ( Figure 8 )

Sect. Petermannia

Similar to Begonia lazat Kiew & Reza Azmi (1998: 45) in its cane-like habit, leaf shape and its stiff recurved fruit stalk, it is different in its long, narrow stipules 20–40 × 3–3.5 mm (not ca. 20 × 8 mm as in B. lazat ), its petiole that is hairy on the upper part near the lamina base (not glabrous), and in the smaller fruit, 17–21 × 15–16 mm (not 35 × 27.5 mm).

Type:— MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sabah. Penampang District: Crocker Range Park, Sub-station Inobong , Waterfall , 21 June 2007, Rimi et al. KNP 10546 . (holotype SNP!; isotypes SAN!, SAR) .

Cane-like begonia. Stem maroon, 21–30 cm tall, 3–4 mm thick, becoming woody, glabrous, much branched; internodes 4–5.5 cm long, swollen at nodes. Young leaves covered with white spots. Stipules pale green; glabrous, narrowly lanceolate, 20–40 × 3–3.5 mm, margin serrate, apex acute, caducous. Leaves alternate, oblique, distant, held horizontally; petiole reddish, glabrous on the lower part, sparsely hairy on the upper part, 4–12 cm long, slightly grooved above; lamina plain dark green, slightly fleshy when fresh, glossy, ovate, asymmetric, 10–15 × 9.5–12 cm, broad side 6.5–8 cm wide, base cordate, basal lobes 4–5.5 cm wide, margin dentate, apex acuminate, acumen ca. 2 cm long; venation palmate-pinnate, concolorous, 2 on each side of the midrib, 1 pair at the base, 2–4 veins in basal lobe, sparsely hairy on the lower surface impressed above, prominent beneath. Inflorescence protogynous, axillary, glabrous, erect panicle, the lowest branch with 2 female flowers, above much-branched with many male flowers, rachis 8.5–16 cm long, peduncle 3.5–5.5 cm long; peduncle and rachis dark red. Bracts lanceolate, 1.1–1.8 × 0.5–1.1 mm, pale green; bracteoles pinkish white, lanceolate, 11–14 × 6–10 mm below female flower, ca. 9 × 4 mm below male flower, margin entire, caducous. Female flower: pedicel 13–17 mm long, pale green-pinkish, glabrous; ovary pale green, wing tinged pink, locules narrowly spindle-shaped, 12–18 × 6–12 mm, wings 3, subequal, locules 3, placenta bilamellate with many ovules on both surfaces; tepals 5, deep pink, ellipsoid, outermost tepals ca. 11 × 10 mm, innermost ones ca. 11 × 5 mm, margin entire, apex acute; styles 3, yellow, ca. 5 mm long, divided to base, Y-shaped; stigma yellow, papillose forming a continuous twisted band. Male flower: pedicel pale pink, 3–12(–16) mm long; tepals 4, white to light pink, oval, glabrous, margin entire, apex acute, outer 2 tepals ca. 10–13 × 7–9 mm; inner 2 tepals ca. 4–8 × 1–2 mm; stamens ca. 20, cluster conical, subsessile; filaments pale yellow, 1–1.2 mm long; anthers pale yellow, oblong or obovate, 0.8–1 × 0.4 mm, apex emarginate. Capsule pendent on pedicel ca. 15 mm long; fruit 1.7–2.1 × 1.5–1.6 cm, glabrous, locules 3, wings subequal, oblong, slightly expanded, rounded proximally, slightly rounded distally, 4.5–6 mm wide, thinly fibrous, dehiscing between locule and wing. Seed: barrel-shaped, ca. 0.3 × 0.1 mm, columnar cells more than half the length of seed.

Distribution: — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sabah. Penampang District: Endemic around Inobang sub-station, Crocker Range Park.

Habitat: —Wet riverbank at 450 m elevation, primary forest.

Etymology: —Named for the locality from where it was first collected.

Additional specimens examined: — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sabah. Penampang District: Crocker Range Park– Inobong sub-station, Kimbambangan trail, Lens FL 62 (SNP), Lens FL 63 (SNP).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Begonia inobongensis. A. Habit with inflorescence; B. Male flowers; C. Female flower; D. Fruit. Photos by Rossiti Karim.