Begonia difformis W. C. Leong, C. I Peng & K. F Chung
Creators: name: Leong, Wai-Chao
name: Deng, Tao
name: Sun, Hang
name: Peng, Ching-I
name: Chung, Kuo-Fang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Cucurbitales
Begoniaceae
Begonia
Begonia difformis

description: 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).
description: Published as part of 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, pp. 83-91 in Phytotaxa 227 (1) on pages 86-89, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.227.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/13635370