Begonia chlorocarpa Irmsch. ex Sands

Sang, Julia, Kiew, Ruth & Yiing, Ling Chea, 2018, The Begonia flora of Gunung Mulu and Gunung Buda National Parks, Sarawak, Borneo, including five new species, Phytotaxa 381 (1), pp. 58-79 : 63-64

4. Begonia chlorocarpa Irmsch. ex Sands

Plants of Mt. Kinabalu (2001) 149 ; Kiew et al., Guide to Begonias of Borneo (2015) 74. Type : — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sabah. Ranau District : Mt. Kinabalu , Liwagu River , 3 September 1961, Chew, Corner & Stainton 2693 (holotype K!; isotype SAN n.v.) .

Distribution: — MALAYSIA. Endemic in Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak). In Sarawak, the species is recorded from six localities: Marudi District (Bario, Pulong Tau NP and Gunung Mulu NP), Belaga District (Sg. Abit) and Lawas District (Sungai Bo’r and Sg. Dualan) ( Figure 4 ).

Habitat: —Hill to lower montane forests at 1000–1500 m elevation on shaded slopes or banks of small streams.

Additional specimens examined: — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sarawak. Marudi District: Pulong Tau NP – NW of Bario, Pearce et al. S 95144 (SAR), S 95826 (SAR); Gunung Mulu NP – Camp 3, Ling et al, SFC 6929 (SAR); Bario, Batu Lawi, Awa S 50490 (SAR); Lawas District: Ravenscourt – Sungai Bor, Ling et al. SFC 5978 (SAR); Belaga District: Danum FMU – Coupe 1, Abit Water Catchment, Ling et al. SFC 8275 (SAR).

Notes: —A robust fleshy herb with large, thick leaves to 35 × 28 cm and densely woolly stems, leaves and petioles, it is the only begonia in Borneo that has a fleshy green, berry-like fruit with thick wings. Tebbitt (2003) drew attention to the wide distribution of the berry-fruited species. For example, Peninsular Malaysian B. longifolia Blume ranges from Java to China. Begonia chlorocarpa is no exception. First described from Gunung Kinabalu and the Crocker Range in Sabah, it has since been collected from several other mountain peaks in Sarawak. It is a new record for Gunung Mulu NP, where it is found at 1450 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Begonia chlorocarpa in Sarawak.