Begonia scorpiocaulis Moonlight & Tebbitt

Moonlight, Peter. W., Jara-Muñoz, Orlando A., Purvis, David A., Delves, Jay, Allen, Josh P. & Reynel, Carlos, 2023, The genus Begonia (Begoniaceae) in Peru, European Journal of Taxonomy 881, pp. 1-334 : 234-236

59. Begonia scorpiocaulis Moonlight & Tebbitt

Figs 71A , 75

Edinburgh Journal of Botany 74 (2): 185 ( Moonlight et al. 2017b).

– Type: PERU • Madre de Dios Region: Pantiacolla, serranía across río alto Madre de Dios from Shintuya ; [12°39′ S, 71°17′ W]; 480–840 m a.s.l.; 29 Oct. 1979; A.H. Gentry, J. Terborgh, J. Aronson & R. Ramirez 27367; holotype: MO [ MO-2154624 ] .

Etymology

Named for the contorted stem of the species, which resembles the coiled tail of a scorpion.

Description

Caulescent herb, to 20 cm high. Stem erect, unbranched; internodes to 2 cm long at the base and progressively shorter towards the apex, to 5 mm thick, succulent, brown, glabrous. Stipules tardily deciduous, lanceolate, 4–10 × 2–4 mm, apex acuminate to mucronate, opaque, brown, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate. Leaves> 3, alternate, basifixed; petiole 3–4 cm long, colour unknown, glabrous; blade asymmetrical, elliptic to oblanceolate, to 12.5 × 3.5 cm, succulent, apex acuminate, base rounded on the broad side of the lamina, cuneate on the narrow side, margin irregularly dentate, ciliate, upper colour unknown, glabrous, lower surface colour unknown, glabrous, veins palmate-pinnate, with 6–8 veins from the base, with 3–4 secondary veins on the broad side of the lamina, 1–3 on the narrow side. Inflorescences at least one per stem, presumed bisexual, axillary, erect, cymose, with up to 4 branches, presumed to bear up to 8 staminate flowers and 8 pistillate flowers, protandrous; peduncle to 6 cm long, colour unknown, glabrous, bracts late deciduous, narrowly-lanceolate, ca 3 × 1 mm, translucent, colour unknown, glabrous, acute, margin denticulate, ciliate. Staminate flowers: unknown. Pistillate flowers: pedicels to 15 mm long; bracteoles 3, directly beneath the ovary, lanceolate to ovate, ca 5 × 3 mm, translucent, colour known, glabrous, apex acute to obtuse, margin serrate, ciliate; tepals 5, subequal, persistent in fruit, spreading, lanceolate to ovate, 4–7 × 2–3 mm, apex obtuse to rounded, orange, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; ovary body ellipsoid, ca 6 × 4 mm, colour unknown, glabrous, unequally 3-winged, wings triangular, the largest 7–9 × 10–13 mm, the smallest two 6–8 × 5–6 mm; 3-locular, placentae branches divided, bearing ovules on both surfaces; styles 3, yellow, free, ca 5 mm long, once-divided, stigmatic papillae in a spirally twisted band. Fruiting pedicel unknown. Fruit unknown.

Proposed conservation assessment

Assessed by Moonlight et al. (2017b) as Data Deficient (DD).

Identification notes

Begonia scorpiocaulis is the only Begonia species from Andean South America that has yellow flowers but no tuber.

Distribution and ecology

Endemic to Peru and known only from the type collection collected in Madre de Dios Region ( Fig. 71A ). Found at an altitude of 480–840 m a.s.l. in an area of Amazonian or lower montane forest. Begonia scorpiocaulis was collected as an epiphyte, which is surprising as its closest relatives B. albomaculata , B. chemillenensis , and B. maynensis are principally collected as terrestrial herbs.

Figures

Fig. 71. Distribution of the maynensis group of Begonia sect. Knesebeckia (Klotzsch) A.DC. in Peru and surrounding countries. A. B. albomaculata C.DC. (red), B. chemillenensis Moonlight (blue) and B. scorpiocaulisMoonlight & Tebbitt (green). B. B. maynensis A.DC. (red). Black lines indicate country borders, grey lines indicate major administrative divisions, blue lines indicate rivers, and shading indicates elevation.

Fig. 75. Begonia scorpiocaulis Moonlight & Tebbitt. A. Habit. B. Pistillate flower, side view. C. Bracteole. D. Bract. E. Pistil, front view. F. Pistil, back view. Illustration by Claire Banks from A.H. Gentry 27367 (MO). Reproduced from Moonlight et al. (2017b), with the permission of Edinburgh Journal of Botany.