Begonia difformis (Irmsch.) W.C. Leong, C.I Peng & K.F Chung

Leong, Wai-Chao, Deng, Tao, Sun, Hang, Peng, Ching-I & Chung, Kuo-Fang, 2015, Begonia difformis comb. & stat. nov. (Sect. Platycentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species segregated from B. palmata D. Don, Phytotaxa 227 (1), pp. 83-91 : 86-89

Begonia difformis (Irmsch.) W.C. Leong, C.I Peng & K.F Chung , comb. & stat. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Basionym:— Begonia laciniata Roxb. subsp. diffromis Irmsch. (1939: 531) .

Lectotype (verified by Irmscher 1956/designated here): — CHINA. Yunnan, September 1912, G. Forrest 16098 (E!), Shweli-Salwin Divide, Sep. 1924, G. Forrest 25207 (paratype, E!). See Note.

Heterotypic synonyms:— Begonia laciniata Roxb. subsp. crassisetulosa Irmsch. (1939: 532) . Begonia palmata D. Don var. crassisetulosa (Irmsch.) Golding & Kareg. (1984: 495) . Lectotype (verified by Irmscher 1956/designated here):— CHINA. Yunnan: Hills east to Tengyueh , July 1912, G. Forrest 8673 (E!).

Evergreen herbs, 20–80 cm tall. Rhizomes elongate, to 2 cm in diam.; aerial stems erect, hirsute when young. Leaves bearing on rhizomes and aerial stems; stipules caducous, narrowly ovate or ovate, to 3 cm long, 2 cm wide, margin minutely dentate, apex cuspidate; petioles 10–28 cm long, hirsute or sparsely so; blade asymmetric, ovate or oblateorbicular, 7–17 cm × 5–11 cm, adaxial surface hispidulous along veins, abaxial surface hirsute, base oblique, slightly cordate or cordate, margin remotely and shallowly denticulate, usually divided to 1/3 of the blade or more, lobes 3–7(– 9), subtriangular, 2.5–5 cm long, apex acuminate to long-acuminate; venation palmate, 5–10-nerved. Inflorescences tomentose; bracts caducous, ovate, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.8 cm, abaxial surface sparingly hispidulous to nearly glabrous, apex acute, margin ciliate. Staminate flowers: Pedicels 1–2 cm long; tepals 4, white or pink, outer two obovate to orbicular, 1.2–2.3 × 0.8–2.0 cm, abaxial surface red-setulose or sparsely so, inner two oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 0.7–2.3 × 0.6–1.0 cm, glabrous; stamens ca. 80–200; filaments 0.8–2.4 mm long; anthers narrowly obovate, 1.9–2.3 mm long, acute or round at apex. Pistillate flowers: Pedicels 1–2 cm long; tepals 5, unequal, oblanceolate to orbicular, the largest 1.1–2.4 × 0.8–2.1 cm, abaxially red-setulose or nearly glabrous, the smallest 0.8–2.1 × 0.4–0.9 cm wide; ovary green, red-setulose or nearly glabrous, 2-locular; placentae axile, bilamellate; styles fused at base; stigmas 2-cleft, spiralled. Capsule nodding, obovoid, 1.5–1.7 × 0.8–1.0 cm wide, unequally 3-winged, abaxial wing obliquely oblong or narrowly so, 1.2–2.9 cm long, lateral wings much shorter.

Distribution & habitat: — Begonia difformis occurs at the elevation at 1500–3200 m in western and southwestern Yunnan ( Fig. 3 ), commonly found on sandstone rock crevices of the moist environments by streams or on mountain slopes under evergreen broadleaved forests or coniferous forests.

Phenology: — Flowering June–October; Fruiting August–November.

Chinese name: fiƚẖţss.

Note:— Both Begonia laciniata subsp. difformis and subsp. crassisetulosa were both described without types ( Irmscher 1939). In the Global Plant database of JSTOR, Forrest 8673 (E), which bears a determinavit slip with Irmscher’s identification in 1956, was noted as the ‘Type’ of B. laciniata var. crassisetulosa (‘Verified by E.Irmscher, 1956/7/1 ’; http://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.e00299206). Irmscher’s determinavit slips of B. laciniata subsp. difformis were also seen on two specimens at E: Forrest 16098 (‘det. E. Irmscher 1958‘) and Forrest 25207 (‘det. E. Irmscher 1956’). Forrest 16098 was noted as ‘Lecotype’ of B. laciniata subsp. difformis (‘Verified by E. Irmscher, 1956/7/1 ’; http://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.e00299196), while Forrest 25207 as ‘Syntype’ (‘Verified by E.Irmscher, 1956/07/01 ’; http://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.e00299194). Because both taxa were described by Irmscher, his verifications as noted in JSTOR are followed.

Additional selected specimen examined: — CHINA. Yunnan: Baoshan, Gangdang, Baihualing , 2000 m, 10 August 2011, Peng 23252 ( HAST), Peng 23253 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Zhenan Zhen , Lishuzhai , on the east side of Gaoligong Shan , 24˚48’09” N, 98˚47’41” E, 1930 m, 21 October 1998, Li 10756 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Zhengan Zhen , Xiaoshui He , on the west side of Gaoligong Shan , 24˚50’16” N, 98˚45’53” E, 2170 m, 22 October 1998, Li 10782 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Zhengan Zhen , Vicinity of Hupa village, east side of Gaoligong Shan , 24˚48’48” N, 98˚49’58” E, 1530 m, 23 August 2003, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 17621 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Lujiang , Vicinity of Nankang village , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 1908 m, 24˚48’47” N, 98˚46’59” E, 25 August 2003, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 17820 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Mangkuan , Baihualing Cun , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 25˚18’00” N, 98˚46’51” E, 2220 m, 8 September 2003, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 18866 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Mangkuan , Vicinity of Hanlong , Baihualing Cun , east side of the Gaoligong Shan , 25˚17’44” N, 98˚48’09” E, 1777 m, 2 June 2005, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 25364 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Longling, Sanyun , Qiaojie Cun , in vicinity of Henghe village , west side of Gaoligong Shan , 24˚59’38” N, 98˚43’55” E, 1980 m, 1 September 2003, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 18323 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Tengchong , 1550 m, 6 August 2011, Peng 23216 ( HAST) ; Baoshan, Tengchong, Sanyun , Chuanlong Cun , on the west side of Gaoligong Shan , 25˚00’13” N, 98˚43’29” E, 1740 m, 4 November 1998, Li 11477 ( HAST) ; Chih-tse-lo, 2500 m, 7 September 1933, Tsai 54180 (A), 3200 m, 11 September 1934, Tsai 58473 (A), Tsai 58488 (A) ; Dehong, Yingjiang, Xima , Qincaidagou , 24˚44’44” N, 97˚44’27” E, 1730 m, 3 November 2002, Peng 19152 ( HAST) ; Lincang, Fengxiang Zhen , 23˚53’09” N, 100˚10’28” E, 2100 m, 7 November 2002, Peng 19192 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Fugong, Lishadi , Mi’eluo Cun , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 27˚15’56” N, 98˚52’14” E, 1500 m, 12 August 2005, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 27354 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Fugong, Lishadi , Ziguduo Cun , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 27˚11’45” N, 98˚52’57” E, 1610 m, 14 August 2005, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 27531 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Fugong, Maji , along the west side of the Nujiang River , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 27˚17’40” N, 98˚52’18” E, 1320 m, 19 August 2005, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 27882 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Fugong, Lumadeng , west side of the Nujiang River , 27˚05’56ˮ N, 98˚52’21” E, 1225 m, 9 May 2004, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 19739 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Fugong, Lumadeng , Yaduo Cun , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 27˚07’48” N, 98˚52’40” E, 1090 m, 22 August 2005, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 28901 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Fugong, Yueliangshi , 1600 m,13 August, 2011, Peng 23278 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Gongshan , 27˚48’05” N, 98˚34’07” E, 1900 m, 18 September 1997, Li 9240 ( MO), Li 9241 ( MO) ; 1800- 2000 m, 19 September 1997, Li 9276 ( MO) ; Nujiang, Fugong , 26˚54’ N, 98˚51’ E, 1600-1700 m, 30 September 1997, Li 9784 ( MO) ; Nujiang, Gongshan, Cikai Zhen , east side of the Gaoligong Shan , 1600 m, 20 July 2000, Li 12974 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Gongshan, Dulongjiang , on the east side of the Dulong Jiang River , 27˚42’40” N, 98˚20’50” E, 1460 m, 30 October 2004, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 21127 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Gongshan, Dulongjiang , on the west side of GaologongShan , 2340 m, 27˚43’53” N, 98˚24’10” E, 2 November 2004, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 22113 ( HAST) ; Nujiang, Gongshan, Cikai , Vicinity of Yimaluo Cun , east side of Gaoligong Shan , 27˚39’28.5” N, 98˚42’41.5” E, 1520 m, 14 August 2006, Gaoligong Shan Biodiversity Survey 33333 ( HAST) ; Shang-pa Hsien , 2100 m, 25 September 1933, Tsai 56624 (A) ; Shang-pa Hsien, 1600 m, 2 October 1933, Tsai 54748 (A), 2200 m, 17 September 1933, Tsai 54261 (A), 2800 m, 10 October 1934, Tsai 58684 (A), 2000 m, 30 October 1934, Tsai 59105 (A) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Begonia difformis (A, B, E, F) and B. palmata (C, D).A. Habitat. B. Habit. C. Male and female flowers. D, E.Abaxial surface of staminate flower, note the red-m on tepals of B. difformis (E). F. Pistillate flower. Scale bars A–C. 4 cm. D–F. 1 cm.

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Begonia difformis.