identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
03928797FFF2FFA053D2FF3FFACAFB2C.text	03928797FFF2FFA053D2FF3FFACAFB2C.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Begonia brunneosquamata Phonep. & C. W. Lin 2025	<div><p>Begonia brunneosquamata Phonep. &amp; C.W.Lin, sp. nov. § Jackia (Figs. 1 &amp; 2)</p><p>TYPE:— LAOS. Bolikhamxai Province, Viengthong district, limestone mountain ca. 20 km eastward from district. In elevation ca. 800 m a.s.l. 23 October 2021, Phonepaseuth, P &amp; Keovilaivanh, S. P 021 (Holotype FOF, in spirit).</p><p>Monoecious rhizomatous herb. Rhizome stout, creeping, olive green turning to light brown with age, 6–17 mm thick, internodes 3–7 mm long, moderately densely covered with minutely appressed scale-like brown trichomes, glabrescent. Stipules persistent, reddish-green becoming brown with age, triangular to ovate-triangular, 7–1.9 × 0.5–1 cm, herbaceous, keeled, abaxial scattered with minute appressed scale-like brown trichomes, margin entire, apex aristate, arista ca. 4 mm long. Leaves alternate, petiole terete, crimson to dusky brownish-red, 5.5−18 cm long, 2−4 mm thick, with moderately dense minute appressed scale-like brown trichomes; leaf blade asymmetric, suborbicular, oblique, with a well-developed basal lobe on one side giving a cordate appearance, 8−15 × 5.4–10 cm, broad side 3–7.7 cm wide, basal lobes cordate, 3–5.5 cm long, margin sparsely denticulate to subentire, more or less undulate, apex acuminate to acute; leaf thin coriaceous, succulent, adaxially pale greyish-green to dusky green or maroon, with irregularly greyish-white, pale green or maroon spots, subvelutinous, glabrous or spares minutely scale-like brown trichomes at central; abaxially pale green or purplish-red; venation basally ca. 8 palmate, midrib distinct, 1 or 2 secondary veins on each side, other primary veins branching dichotomously or nearly so, tertiary veins reticulate; primary veins sparsely covered with minutely, appressed scale-like brown trichomes, becoming dense towards base. Inflorescences axillary, dichasial cymes, arising directly from rhizome, branched up to 5 times; bisexual, cymosely branching panicle 13–31 cm long, peduncle crimson to brownish-red, 11−27 cm long, with moderately dense minute scale-like brown trichomes, appressed or nearly so. Bracts inconspicuous, brownish to reddish-green, broadly triangular, 0.3−1.5 × 0.5–1 mm, scattered with minute, appressed scale-like brown trichomes, margin entire, apex rounded or apiculate. Staminate flower: pedicel pinkish-green or reddish-green, 0.7–1 cm long, with moderately dense minute appressed scale-like brown trichomes; tepals 4, pinkish-white to rosy pink, outer 2 broadly obovate to orbicular, 7–10 mm long, 8–9 mm wide, with sparse scale-like brown trichomes adaxially; inner 2 narrowly elliptic, 6.5–8 × 2–3 mm, glabrous; androecium zygomorphic, 3–4 mm across; stamens golden yellow, ca. 15, filaments fused at base, anthers obovate, 1–1.5 mm long, 2-locular, apex mucromate and curved upwards, shorter than filaments. Pistillate flower: pedicel pinkish-green to pink, ca. 1 cm long, with moderately dense minute appressed scale-like brown trichomes, tepals 5, pinkish-white to rosy pink, outer 4 obovate to broadly obovate, 9–12 × 5–10 mm, glabrous or scattered with minute appressed scale-like brown trichomes; inner 1 narrowly obovate, 7–10 × 2.5–4 mm, glabrous; ovary narrowly trigonous-ellipsoid, 5.5–10 × 2.5–4 mm (wings excluded), pink to whitish-green, with moderate dense minutely appressed scale-like brown trichomes; 3-winged, wings unequal, pink to whitish-green, 7–13 mm long, lateral wings narrower, narrowly crescent-shaped to narrowly trapezoid, 1–2 mm wide, abaxial wing rounded-triangular to rounded-trapezoid, 3–7 mm wide, margin erose; ovary 3-locular, scattered with minute appressed scale-like brown trichomes, placenta undivided; styles 3, shortly fused at base, golden yellow, ca. 4 mm long, stigmatic band C-shaped, stigma spirally twisted. Capsule pendent on a stalk 15 mm long, capsule 15–17 × 15–20 mm (wings included), wings unequal, adaxial wing rounded-triangular to rounded-trapezoid, lateral ones narrower, crescent-shaped or nearly so.</p><p>Distribution:— This species is currently known only from a few limestone mountains in Bolikhamxai Province, central Laos, specifically in Viengthong and Khamkeut districts (Fig. 3).</p><p>Habitat and ecology:— The species grows on limestone cliffs in semi-shaded environments of Northern Annamites rain forest at an elevation of 450–800 m a.s.l. It shares its habitat with Impatiens cf. parishii ( Balsaminaceae), Paraboea sp. ( Gesneriaceae), Drynaria deuansavanhii Vongthavone et al. (2025:186) ( Polypodiaceae), and Elatostema spp. ( Urticaceae). Flowering occurs from October to November in its natural habitat and from November to December under cultivation.</p><p>Etymology:— The specific epithet brunneosquamata refers to the presence of scale-like brown trichomes on the vegetative parts, inflorescence, and style of the new species.</p><p>Proposed conservation status:— The new species was found in four localities of limestone habitats in Bolikhamxai Province, each with an estimated population of approximately 20 individuals. Its Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is calculated at 660 km 2, and its Area of Occupancy (AOO) at 16 km 2 (Fig. 3b). Based on those data, the species is preliminary assessed as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii); B2ab(iii); D) (IUCN 2024). However, none of the known populations occur within officially protected areas. Due to its ornamental appeal, the species has been subject to mass collection by local people in recent years. Given these ongoing threats, its conservation status may warrant reassessment to Critical Endangered (CR) in the near future.</p><p>Additional specimens examined:— LAOS. Bolikhamxai Province: Viengthong district, Nadi village, Limestone karst, 475 m, (sterile), 5 September 2023, Tagane et al. Z445 (FOF, KAG) ; Khamkeut district, Lak Sao, Limestone mountain, 637 m. (Flowers and young fruit), 31 Oct 2013, Konstantinov, E. K216 (LE [LE01077242]) ; ibid., K217 (LE [LE01089564]) .</p><p>Notes:— Begonia brunneosquamata is the first Begonia species reported from Vienthong district.It morphologically unique among Indochinese begonias in possessing conspicuous scale-like brown trichomes on the stipules, petioles, inflorescences, and styles—an indumentum type not observed in any other known species from the region. The new species resembles B. tatianae Averyanov et al. (2019: 136) in being rhizomatous, with suborbicular leaf blades, 4- tepaled staminate flowers, and a zygomorphic androecium. However, it can be readily distinguished from B. tatianae by the markedly different vestiture covering the entire plant.</p><p>In overall habit and in the number of both staminate and pistillate flowers, B. brunneosquamata is also superficially similar to B. minuscula Averyanov &amp; Nguyen (2012: 14), but it differs in several important morphological characters. These include significantly larger leaf blades (8–15 × 5.4–10 cm vs. 1–4 × 1–4.5 cm), petioles densely covered with scale-like brown trichomes (vs. pubescent), and smaller, triangular bracts 0.3–1.5 mm long (vs. ovate to broadly ovate, 1.5–4 mm long). In addition, the fruit wing margins of B. brunneosquamata are distinctly erose, whereas those of B. minuscula are entire.</p><p>A detailed comparison of the key diagnostic characters of these three species is provided in Table 1.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03928797FFF2FFA053D2FF3FFACAFB2C	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Plazi	Phonepaseuth, Phongphayboun;Lin, Che-Wei	Phonepaseuth, Phongphayboun, Lin, Che-Wei (2025): Begonia brunneosquamata (sect. Jackia, Begoniaceae), a new species from limestone karsts of Bolikhamxai Province, Central Laos. Phytotaxa 720 (1): 67-74, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.720.1.6, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.720.1.6
