Begonia bangii Kuntze

Moonlight, Peter & Fuentes, Alfredo F., 2022, AN UPDATED CHECKLIST AND KEY TO THE SPECIES OF BOLIVIAN BEGONIA, INCLUDING ONE NEW SPECIES, Edinburgh Journal of Botany 79 (407), pp. 1-66 : 42-45

8.34. Begonia bangii Kuntze , Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(3): 105 (1898).

– Type: Bolivia, Yungas, 1890, M. Bang 406 (holotype B [ B100467645 ]; isotypes B ex M [ B100467896 ], BM [ BM001191454 ], F [ F0077666 F], G, GH [ GH00068215 ], K [2: K000322981 , K000322982 ], M [ M0113295 ], NDG [ NDG34423 ], NY [ NY00112292 ], PH [ PH00007770 , PH00025179 ], US [2: US00222368 , US00115248 ]) .

L.B. Smith & B.G. Schubert, Revista Univ. (Cuzco) 33(87): 75 (1944). – Begonia sp. in H.H. Rusby, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 3: 40 (1893); R.C. Foster, Contr. Gray Herb. 184: 137 (1958); D.C. Wasshausen et al. in P.M. JØrgensen et al. (eds), Cat. Bolivia, Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 127: 383 (2013).

Begonia chaetocarpa Kuntze var. chaetocarpa , Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(3): 105 (1898). – Type: Bolivia, [Cochabamba Department], Santa Rosa, [17°18’S, 65°33’W], 2000 m, 1–4 iv 1892, C.E.O. Kuntze s.n. (lectotype NY [ NY00112296 ] designated here first stage designated in: Revista Univ. (Cuzco) 33(87): 76 (1944) by Smith, L.B. & Schubert, B.G. ; isolectotypes B [ B100242167 , photograph F#20885 ], MO [ MO-266441 ], NY [ NY00112297 ] ); [Cochabamba Department], río Juntas , [16°52′S, 65°53′W], 1000 m, iv 1892, C.E.O. Kuntze s.n. (syntypes F [ F0052623 F], NY [ NY00112298 ], US [ US00222384 ]), syn. nov .

L.B. Smith & B.G. Schubert, Revista Univ. (Cuzco) 33(87): 76 (1944); R.C. Foster, Contr. Gray Herb. 184: 137 (1958); D.C. Wasshausen et al. in P.M. JØrgensen et al. (eds), Cat. Bolivia, Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 129: 384 (2013).

Begonia chaetocarpa var. glabriflora L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub. , Revista Univ. (Cuzco) 33(87): 76 (1944). – Type: Bolivia, La Paz Department, Yungas , 1800 m, 1885, H.H. Rusby 690 (holotype F [ F0052624 F]; isotypes BM [ BM001191453 ], E [ E00265151 ], GH [ GH00068218 ], K [ K000536728 ], MO [MO-266442], NY [5: NY01477262 , NY01477263 , NY01477264 , NY01477265 , NY00112299 ], P [ P06872624 ], PH [ PH00007799 ], US [US00222366 ], WIS [ WISv0257072 WIS]), syn. nov .

R.C. Foster, Contr. Gray Herb. 184: 137 (1958).

Begonia ulmifolia Bang ex Kuntze pro. syn. Begonia bangii Kuntze , Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(3): 105 (1898).

Begonia antioquensis auct. non. (A.DC.) Warb., Rusby , Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 4: 207 (1895).

Caulescent herb to 1 m tall. Stem erect, branching; internodes to 14.5 cm long, to 4.5 mm thick, succulent, green to brown, hispid to densely hispid or densely tomentose. Stipules persistent, transversely reniform to transversely orbicular, 5–11.5 × 8–21 mm, apex acute to rounded, opaque, green to brown, sparsely hispid, margin lacerate, long-ciliate. Leaves> 5 per stem, alternate, basifixed; petiole 1–5.5 cm long, green to brown, densely hispid; blade asymmetrical, transversely lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4.5–16 × 2–8.5 cm, membranaceous, apex acuminate, base cordate on the broad side of the bade, cuneate on the narrow side, margin irregularly serrate to double serrate, ciliate, upper surface green, sometimes with a red line around the edge, hispid, lower surface pale green, hispid, densely hispid on the veins, veins pinnate, with 8–10 secondary veins on the broader side, 5–8 secondary veins on the narrower side. Inflorescences 1–3 per branch, bisexual, axillary, erect, cymose, with 1–3 branches, bearing up to 8 staminate flowers and 16 pistillate flowers, protandrous; peduncle to 9.5 cm long, brown, densely hispid, bracts deciduous, lanceolate, 7–10 × 2–3 mm, brown, hispid to densely hispid, apex acuminate, margin lacerate, long-ciliate. Staminate flowers: pedicels to 15.5 mm long, glabrous; tepals 2, spreading, broadly ovate, 4–7.5 × 3.5–7 mm, apex rounded, base truncate, white, hispid, margin entire, aciliate; stamens c.30, spreading, yellow, filaments 1–3 mm long, free, anthers ellipsoid, c.1 × 0.2 mm long, dehiscing via lateral slits, connectives extended to 0.5 mm, symmetrically basifixed. Pistillate flowers: pedicels to 12 mm long; bracteoles 2, positioned directly beneath the ovary, lanceolate, 4–6 × 1.5–3.6 mm, apex truncate, brown, glabrous to hispid, margin lacerate, long-ciliate; tepals 5, subequal, deciduous in fruit, spreading, ellipsoid to ovoid, 4–10.5 × 1–4.5 mm, apex acuminate to rounded, white, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; ovary body ovoid, 2.5–7 × 2–5.5 mm, white, glabrous to sparsely hispid, unequally 3-winged, wings semi-orbicular, largest 5.5–10 × 5–12.5 mm, smallest 5–8.5 × 1–5 mm; 3-locular, placentation axillary, branches divided, bearing ovules on both surfaces; styles 3, colour, fusion, 2–4 mm long, divided one to four times, stigmatic papillae in spirally twisted bands. Fruiting pedicel to 40 mm long. Fruit a capsule, body ovoid, to 8 × 6 mm, drying brown, wings same shape as in ovary, the largest expanding to 14.5 × 26 mm, the smallest expanding to 10 × 7 mm.

Distribution and ecology. Endemic to Bolivia and known from La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz Departments. Found within lower and middle montane forest at an elevation of 550–2371 m. It is a semi-scandent herb, typically collected on the edge of montane forest patches. Begonia bangii has been collected flowering and fruiting throughout the year, with a possible peak in July and August, which is the dry season.

Etymology. Named after Miguel Bang, who collected the type specimen of the species.

Proposed IUCN conservation category. Begonia bangii has a known EOO of c. 17,000 km 2, which includes several protected areas and a high proportion of undisturbed forest. It has been frequently collected in the past 20 years, including close to major roads. We conclude that Begonia bangii is not under threat of extinction and assess it as Least Concern (LC) under IUCN criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2019).

Additional specimens examined. BOLIVIA. La Paz Department. Nor Yungas Province: 5 km beyond Suapi, c. 15 km NNW of Corioco, [16°5′S, 67°42′W], 1300 m, 6 vi 1996, D.C. Wasshausen, R.K. Brummitt, R. Ríos & A. Freire 2100 ( LPB, MO, NY, US) ; 13 km al noroeste del camino entre Yolosa y Caranavi, por el camino a Suapi , al lado del río Khusillani, c. 1 km antes de la comunidad Khusillani, 16°8′S, 67°46′W, 1500 m, 27 v 1988, J.C. Solomon 18459 ( MO) ; Parque Nacional ANMI Cotapata , Estación Biológica Tunquini , NW of Coroico, NNE of La Paz, vic of Chairo, 23 km NW of Yolosa, 16°12′S, 67°50′W, 1300–1500 m, 21 viii 2000, T.B. Croat, A.C. Acebey & T. Kromer 84746 ( MO [2]) ; ibid., T.B. Croat, A.C. Acebey & T. Kromer 84779 ( MO) ; 4.6 km below Yolosa, then 19.1 km on the road up río Huarinilla, 16°12′S, 67°53′W, 1700 m, 12 xi 1982, J.C. Solomon 8775 ( MO, NY). Sud Yungas Province : Carretera de Huancané a San Isidro , 16°20′52.9′′S, 67°31′33.9′′W, 2371 m, 2 vi 2011, M.F. Gardner, E. Nieto & D. Alanes 49 ( E). Chapare Province: In river gorge c. 4 km below El Palmar, 650 m, 6 vii 1997, J.R.I. Wood 12399 ( K [2]) ; 7 km SW of Villa Tunari, 13.5 km up road to El Palmar (to edge of Carrasco Parque) from main tar road, [17°0′S, 65°29′W], 550 m, 31 v 1996, D.C. Wasshausen, R.K. Brummitt, J.R.I. Wood & N. Ritter 2078 ( K, LPB, NY) ; Antahuacana , Espíritu Santo , [17°4′S, 65°39′W], 750 m, vi 1969, O. Buchtien s.n. ( K) ; Sillar, km 120 de la Carretera Cochabamba-Villa Tunari, 17°7′34′′S, 65°41′26′′W, 1021 m, 27 vi 2008, J. Terá n, E. Rodríguez & D. Soux 2712 ( MO) ; ibid., 30 vi 2008, J. Teran, E. Rodríguez & D. Soux 2752 ( MO) ; San Onofre , [17°9′S, 65°46′W], 1600 m, 28 ii 1929, J. Steinbach 9308 ( BM, K) ; Santa Isabel , 17°11′16′′S, 65°49′54′′W, 1748 m, 29 x 2008, J. Terán, D. Soux & M. Aliaga 2937 ( MO). Cochabamba Department. Arani Province: El Limbo, 17°08′11′′S, 65°37′35′′W, 2100 m, 15 viii 2003, S. Altamirano, E. Zurita, M. Allen Z., T. Camacho, M. Aliaga & A. Lacaze JA1042 ( MO) ; ibid., 17°08′7.9′′S, 65°37′32.8′′W, 2030 m, 21 viii 2003, S. Altamirano, E. Zurita, M. Allen Z., T. Camacho, M. Aliaga & A. Lacaze JA1269 ( MO [2]). [Ayopaya Province]: Incachaca , small power station about 80 miles NE of Cochabamba, [17°12′S, 66°35′W], 21 viii 2003, W.M.A. Brooke 6759 ( BM). Santa Cruz Department. Manuel Maria Caballero Province : Khara Huasi, trayecto de 5 km al W de la escuelita, subiendo el río Khara Huasi, 17°44′S, 64°44.5′W, 1850–1900 m, I.G. Vargas C. 4827 ( NY).

Nomenclatural notes. Otto Kuntze described Begonia bangii from material of the collection M. Bang 406 in the herbarium of Berlin Botanical Garden. Smith & Schubert (1944a) presumed that this material was destroyed during the bombing of Berlin in the Second World War, but the herbarium’s Begonia collections were on loan to Edgar Irmscher and therefore survived. There are two sheets of M. Bang 406 in Berlin, but only one of these (B100467645) was in Berlin in 1898 and is therefore the holotype. The second sheet (B100467896) is an isotype and includes leaves and flowers taken from a sheet in Munich herbarium (M0113295) by Irmscher, accompanied with a pencil drawing of the Munich specimen. This most likely occurred in the 1940s, when Irmscher was preparing his revision of the South American Begoniaceae ( Irmscher, 1949) .

The protologue of Begonia chaetocarpa cites material of two unnumbered collections by Otto Kuntze: one from Santa Rosa and a second from the valley of the río Juntas. Smith and Schubert cited material collected in Santa Rosa and held in New York herbarium as the type of Begonia chaetocarpa . There are two sheets matching this description in New York, so this counts as the first stage of lectotypification. Both sheets are relatively poor material, with few leaves, several fruits, and no pistillate flowers. We designate the sheet NY00112296 as the lectotype of Begonia chaetocarpa , because of the two available specimens, it has a single tepal on a developing fruit. Future authors may decide to designate an epitype matching this sheet but with well-preserved staminate and pistillate flowers.

Synonymy notes. Begonia chaetocarpa Kuntze (1898: 105) was separated from B. bangii Kuntze (1898: 105) by Kuntze on the basis of its hispid fruits and its larger wings in fruit. Smith & Schubert (1944a) also noted that the two species differed in their styles, which are bifid in the type of Begonia bangii and multifid in the type of B. chaetocarpa . They also, however, described the variety of Begonia chaetocarpa var. glabriflora Smith & Schubert (1944a: 76) , which shared the bifid styles of B. chaetocarpa but has a glabrous ovary. This variety was treated as a synonym of Begonia chaetocarpa in the latest checklist of Bolivian Begonia ( Wasshausen et al., 2013) . Our investigations show that the style of the type collection of Begonia chaetocarpa var. glabriflora varies from bifid to multifid, so this character cannot be used to separate B. chaetocarpa from B. bangii . Furthermore, the fruits of this variety are smaller than those of the type variety and closer in size to those of the type of Begonia bangii . Together with other collections, there is a continuum from Begonia bangii to B. chaetocarpa , so we synonymise the latter and its variety with B. bangii .

Identification notes. Best recognised as a frequently branching herb with a densely hispid to tomentose indumentum on its stems and persistent, transversely semi-orbicular or transversely ovate stipules. This species is superficially similar to Begonia unduavensis , B. unilateralis and B. leptostyla Irmsch. , which are frequently branching herbs and sometimes have a hispid stem (except B. unilateralis ) and persistent stipules. The stipules of these species are, however, symmetrical and triangular to lanceolate rather than asymmetrical and ovate to semicircular.