Begonia sect. Lepsia (Klotzsch) A.DC.

Moonlight, Peter. W., Jara-Muñoz, Orlando A., Purvis, David A., Delves, Jay, Allen, Josh P. & Reynel, Carlos, 2023, The genus Begonia (Begoniaceae) in Peru, European Journal of Taxonomy 881, pp. 1-334 : 236

Begonia sect. Lepsia (Klotzsch) A.DC.

Annales des Sciences Naturelles Botanique, Série 4 11: 141 ( de Candolle 1859). – Lepsia Klotzsch, Bericht über die zur Bekanntmachung geeigneten Verhandlungen der Königl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1854: 123 ( Klotzsch 1854).

– Type: holotype: Lepsia microphylla (Kunth) Klotzsch = Begonia foliosa Kunth.

Synonymy notes

For a full list of sectional synonyms, see Moonlight et al. (2018).

Notes

A small section of eight currently recognised species mostly distributed within the northern Andes from Venezuela to central Peru, except for the more broadly distributed B. guaduensis Kunth. Its current circumscription was expanded based on phylogenetic evidence by Moonlight et al. (2018) to a morphologically homogeneous group of species united by their erect habits; lack of any indumentum, indistinct, pinnate venation; their four tepals on the staminate flower and five on the pistillate flower; and axillary and usually entire placentae.

In Peru, B. sect. Lepsia is represented by two species and could be confused with any of the other Peruvian sections with pinnate venation, but particularly the glabrous members of B. sect. Ruizopavonia. They are best distinguished by the number of tepals on their staminate and pistillate flowers, respectively (two and two in Peruvian B. sect. Ruizopavonia; four and five in B. sect. Lepsia ) or their indistinct (vs prominent) secondary venation.