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| Begonia chunxiuensis W.G.Wang, D.K.Tian, R.K.Li & H.C.Xi, in Xi, Li, Z.-X. Wang, Lang, W.-G. Wang et Tian, 2025. |
Abstract
Begonia chunxiuensis, a new species from Guangxi of China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to B. sinovietnamica and B. aurora, but differs from them by its narrowly triangular stipules, leaf blade that is adaxially green, dark green to viridian, pinkish-white to white villous, but abaxially light green with red veins, red to pinkish-white villous, and convex anther apex. It also differs from B. sinovietnamica by smaller staminate flowers. The new species is currently known from only two subpopulations and is assessed as ‘Data Deficient' (DD) according to the IUCN red list categories and criteria.
Keywords: Begonia, China, Guangxi, morphology, new taxon, taxonomy
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| Begonia chunxiuensis sp. nov. (A)–(B) Habitat, (C) plant in flowering, (D) leaf blade, adaxial and abaxial, (E)–(F) adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces showing indumentum, (G) petiole section, (H) stipules, (I) inflorescences, (J) staminate flower, adaxial view, (K) staminate flower, abaxial view, (L) androecium, (M) pistillate flower, adaxial view, (N) pistillate flower, side view, (O) styles and stigmas, (P) dissected ovary showing axile placentation, (Q) capsules. Photos (A), (Q) by Wen-Guang Wang, (B) by Dai-Ke Tian, (C), (D), (H)–(P) by Ren-Kun Li, (E)–(G) by Hou-Cheng Xi. |
Begonia chunxiuensis W.G.Wang, D.K.Tian, R.K.Li & H.C.Xi sp. nov.
Diagnosis: A new species in Begonia sect. Platycentrum most similar to B. sinovietnamica C.Y.Wu (Wu and Ku 1997) in shape of leaf blades, shape and color of both staminate and pistillate flowers and 3-loculed ovary, but easily distinguished by its narrowly triangular stipules (versus ovate-oblong), leaf blade adaxially green, dark green to viridian (versus brownish-green), abaxially light green with red veins (versus light brownish-green), adaxially pinkish-white to white villous with hairs ca 5 mm long (versus densely hirsute), abaxially red to pinkish-white villous (versus hirsute), outer 2 tepals of staminate flower 10–15 × 8–14 mm, inner 2 tepals 8–12 × 4–5 mm (versus outer 2 tepals ca 21 × 16 mm, inner 2 tepals ca 12 × 5–6 mm) and anther apex convex (versus obtuse).
Etymology: The specific epithet chunxiuensis' refers to the name of type locality, Chunxiu Reservoir in Longzhou County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Chinese name is 春秀秋海棠'.
Hou-Cheng Xi, Ren-Kun Li, Zhong-Xuan Wang, Xiao-An Lang, Wen-Guang Wang and Dai-Ke Tian. 2025. Begonia chunxiuensis, A New Species of Begonia sect. Platycentrum (Begoniaceae) from Guangxi, China. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/njb.04840 [23 November 2025]
