Friday, April 17, 2020

[Botany • 2019] Begonia medicinalis (Begoniaceae, sect. Platycentrum) • A New Species from Sulawesi, Indonesia


Begonia medicinalis Ardi & D.C.Thomas
in Ardi, Zubair, Ramadanil & Thomas, 2019. 

Abstract
A new species of Begonia, Begonia medicinalis Ardi & D.C.Thomas, is described from  Sulawesi, Indonesia. A photo plate and distribution map are provided. The new species is endemic to Sulawesi and belongs to Begonia section Petermannia.

Keywords: Petermannia, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, taxonomy, Eudicots

FIGURE 2. Begonia medicinalis.
A. Habit. B. Petiole with hairs. C. Stipule. D. Adaxial leaf surface. E. Male inflorescence. F. Male flower (front view). G. Male flowers (rear view). H. Female flower (front view). I. Fruit. J. Ovary cross section.
A-J from WI 447 (Photos: A−J: Wisnu H. Ardi; H: M. Efendi)

Begonia medicinalis Ardi & D.C.Thomas sp. nov. 
Sect. Petermannia 

This species resembles Begonia lasioura D.C.Thomas & Ardi (Thomas et al. 2011: 233) in the erect habit, the dense indumentum of relatively long (to ca. 2 mm) hairs of the stems and leaves, and the short peduncles of the female inflorescences, but differs by its lower growth habit up to 30 cm tall (vs up to 60 cm tall); a biserrate to shallowly lobed leaf margin (vs leaf margin serrate); and obovate female flower tepals (vs tepals ovate to elliptic).


Etymology:— The specific epithet ‘medicinalis’ refers to the use of this species in traditional medicine in Central Sulawesi (see Introduction; Anam et al. 2014).


 Wisnu H. Ardi, Muhammad S. Zubair, Ramadanil and Daniel C. Thomas. 2019. Begonia medicinalis (Begoniaceae), A New Species from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Phytotaxa. 423(1); 41–45. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.423.1.5