Begonia rieckei Warb. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 13(3-4): 387. 1891

Primary tabs

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Content

Begonia Section

  • Petermannia

Additional Publication

  • Koorders-Schumacher, Suppl. Fl. Celebes 3: 47 (1922); Smith & Wasshausen, Phytologia 52(7): 444 (1983); Tebbitt & Dickson, Brittonia 52(1): 115 (2000).

Description

  • [Tebbit & Dickson, 2000: Begonia pseudolateralis]
    This species differs from Begonia brachybotrys Merr. & L. M. Perry in having leaf margins scalloped (vs. entire), with lobes 1.5-8 mm deep (vs. very short teeth to 0.5 mm); and 8 (vs. 7) veins in leaf-lamina. (Tebbitt, M.C. & Dickson, J.H., Amended Descriptions and Revised Sectional Assignment of Some Asian Begonias (Begoniaceae) in Brittonia 52(1))
  • [Tebbit & Dickson, 2000: Begonia brachybotrys]
    Monoecious, erect herb, to ca. 1 m tall, stems green or reddish, especially at internodes, fleshy, branched from near the base, sparsely and minutely glandular hairy.

    Stipules caducous, ovate to ovate-lanceolate. Leaves alternate; petioles green to reddish, to 23 cm long, sparsely and minutely glandular hairy; lamina chartaceous or herbaceous, ovate, 10-20 X 7-14 cm, apex acute, base strongly asymmetric, cordate, lobes unequal, margin short-toothed, teeth ciliate, bright green above, paler below, glabrous or occasionally sparsely microscopic glandular hairy above, below with sparse minute glandular hairs, veins often reddish, 7, palmate.

    Inforescences bisexual, protogynous, terminal, racemose, rachis to 2.5 cm long, female flowers 2-12, in pairs in the lower half, male flowers 5-25, in pairs in the upper half; bracts deciduous, ovate. Pedicels minutely glandular hairy, those of male flowers slender, to 2.5 cm long, those of female flowers broader, reddish, 10-23 mm long.

    Male flowers: tepals 2, orbicular to elliptic, white to pink, 5-10 X 4-12 mm; stamens 20-60, in a cone-shaped mass, filaments free to base, slender, anthers elliptic-oblong, ca. 1.5 mm long, apex obtuse, locules dehiscing via longitudinal slits along inner surface of anther, not separated by connective, connective not projecting.

    Female fowers: tepals 5, white to pink, outer 2 orbicular to elliptic, 6-12 X 3.75-7 mm, inner 3 narrowly elliptic, 6-9 X 2.25-4 mm; ovary white to green, succulent, elliptic 6-12 X 7-12 mm, 3-winged, wings arcuate-deltoid, truncate, ovary and pedicel covered with microscopic glandular hairs, 3-locular; styles caducous, 3, usually 3-4 mm long, fused at base, bifid, branches erect, stigmatic papillae once spirally twisted. Infructescences to 2.5 cm long, 1-12-fruited, fruit somewhat fleshy, becoming red. (Tebbitt, M.C. & Dickson, J.H., Amended Descriptions and Revised Sectional Assignment of Some Asian Begonias (Begoniaceae) in Brittonia 52(1))

Habitat

  • Forest floor species, in moist, full shade habitats, often at streamsides, 10-1500 m asl.

Conservation

Distribution

Asia-Tropical:, Bismarck Archipelago (Bismarck Archipelago); Maluku (Maluku); New Guinea (Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea); Philippines (Philippines); Sulawesi (Sulawesi)
Indonesia (Sulawesi, Malukku, New Guinea), Papua New Guinea, Philippines.

Sulawesi: North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi.

See specimen tab for map of point distribution data of georeferenced specimens from Sulawesi.

Notes

  • This [Begonia rieckei] is the earliest published name for a group of more-or-less indistinguishable taxa which may be best considered as one widespread and variable species. These taxa are B. brachybotrys Merr. & L.M. Perry (New Guinea and surrounding islands), B. koordersii Warb. ex L.B. Sm. & Wassh. (Sulawesi), B. peekelii Irmsch. (Bismarck Archipelago) and B. pseudolateralis Warb. (Philippines). Considered as a single taxon, this species has an interesting distribution, being limited to east of Huxley?s line and hence absent from the Sunda Shelf. Leaf margin characters (scalloped in B. pseudolateralis, sub-entire in B. brachybotrys) and the number of main veins in the leaf lamina (8 in B. pseudolateralis, 7 in B. brachybotrys) have been used by Tebbitt and Dickson (2000) to separate two of the species, although examination of a large number of specimens provides several exceptions. Begonia strictipetiolaris Irmsch. may also have an affinity to this group, although is distinguished by having a larger number of anthers. The poorly known B. axillipara Ridl. also bears similarities. Collections by Lam from the Talaud Islands were determined by Irmscher to the unpublished var. umbelliformis. (Hughes, M. An annotated checklist of Southeast Asian Begonia. 2008)