Begonia guaduensis Kunth

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 : 243-245

61. Begonia guaduensis Kunth in Humboldt et al. (1825)

Fig. 76B

Nova Genera et Species Plantarum (quarto ed.), vol. 7: 137 ( Humboldt et al. 1825).

– Type: COLOMBIA – [Dept. Cundinamarca] • prope Guaduas , inter Honda et Santa Fe de Bogotá; [5°05′ N, 74°36′ W]; Jul.; F.W.H.A.v. Humboldt & A.J.A. Bonpland s.n.; lectotype: P [ P00307182 , photo E [ E00299521 ], G, US], first stage designated by Smith (1973: 217); second stage designated by Smith & Wasshausen (1979: 247); isolectotypes: P [ P01900858 ], G-DC ex P.

de Candolle (1864: 319); Smith & Schubert (1946c: 183, 1952: 38, 1958: 64); Smith & Wasshausen (1986: 52, 1989: 29); Brako & Zarucchi (1993: 192); Burt-Utley (2015: 41).

Begonia ottonis Walp., Repertorium Botanices Systematicae 2:212 ( Walpers 1843a). – Begonia walpersii Heynh. (nom. illeg.; nom. superfl.), Nomenclator botanicus hortensis 2: 63 ( Heynold 1846). – Donaldia ottonis (Walp.) Klotzsch, Bericht über die zur Bekanntmachung geeigneten Verhandlungen der Königl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1854: 127 ( Klotzsch 1854).

– Type: VENEZUELA • Caracas ; J.W.K. Moritz 124; lectotype: B [F neg. 20888]; designated here.

Walpers (1858: 908).

Begonia andreana Sprague, Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh XXII: 433 ( Sprague 1905). – Begonia guaduensis var. andreana (Sprague) L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub., Caldasia 4 (18): 185 ( Smith & Schubert 1946c).

– Type: COLOMBIA • Villavicencio ; [4°09′ N, 73°39′ W]; 24 Jan. 1899, T.A. Sprague 133; lectotype: K [ K000536730 ], designated here; isolectotypes: BM [ BM001191442 ], K [ K000536731 ], US [ US00115239 ].

Smith & Wasshausen (1989: 29).

Begonia serratifolia C.DC., Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 69: 7 (de Candolle 1919).

– Type: PANAMA • Vicinity of San Felix, eastern Chiriquí ; [8°18′ N, 81°53′ W]; 0–120 m a.s.l.; H. Pittier 5126; lectotype: US [ US00115453 ], designated here; isolectotype: G.

Smith & Schubert (1946c: 184).

Begonia laurina hort. ex A.DC. (nom. inval.; nom. rej. pro syn. Begonia ottonis Walp. ), Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 15 (1): 292 ( de Candolle 1864).

Etymology

The type specimen of this species was collected near the town of Guaduas in the present-day Province of Lower Magdalena of Colombia. The species is named for this locality.

Selected specimens examined

PERU – Amazonas Region: Prov. Condorcanqui • Región Noriental del Maráñon , puerto Mori , río Comaina ; 4°23′ S, 78°21′ W. 800 m a.s.l.; 19 Aug. 1994; R. Vásquez, N. Jaramillo, R. Apanu, A. Apanu & M. Ugkuch 18929; MO [ MO-286225 ], US [ US00672868 ]. – Prov. Bagua • Aramango ; [5°25′ S, 78°27′ W]; 350 m a.s.l.; 15 Oct. 1965; A. Sagástegui A. 5871; HUT, US [ US00222152 ]. – Cajamarca Region: Prov. San Ignacio • Dist. Namballe, Bosque Pacashal , margen derecho y arriba del río Canchis; 4°58′ S, 79°10′ W; 650–800 m a.s.l.; 10 Jul. 1997; E. Rodríguez R. & O. Pesantes 1672; HUT, MO [2: MO-1641375 , MO-1641376 ], US [ US00672869 ], USM, NY • Dist. Huarango, entre San Martín y la Mushea ; 5°16′ S, 78°43′ W; 900 m a.s.l.; 17 May 1996; J. Campos, R. Vásquez, A. Vásquez & L. López 2779; MO [ MO-1641374 ], US [ US00672867 ], USM • Huango-San Martín , quebrada agua colorada ; 5°22′ S, 78°30′ W; 900 m a.s.l.; R. Vásquez & A. Vásquez 20863; HUT, MO [2: MO-1641377 , MO-1641378 ], USM. – San Martín Region: Prov. Rioja • Dist. Pardo Miguel, cerca a puente de Aguas Verdes , ruta a Venceremos; 5°40′ S, 77°38′ W; 1360–1500 m a.s.l.; 29 Jun. 1999; I. Sánchez V., M. Zapata, G. Iberico & R. Diéguez 9934; CPUN, F [ V0086770F ], US [ US00673149 ] • Dist. Nuevo Cajamarca, entre Florida y Primavera , margen izqueirda del río Yaracyacu ; 5°57′ S, 77°21′ W; 1020–1200 m a.s.l.; 25 Jun. 1999; I. Sánchez-Vega, M. Zapata, G. Iberico & R. Diéguez 9894; CPUN, F [ V0086771F ], US [ US00673148 ] • Laguna Sauce ; [6°42′ S, 76°13′ W]; 18 Oct. 1985; L. Ramírez V. & A. Sotero M. 054-85; HUT . – Huánuco -Ucayali Region • La Divisoria; [9°10′ S, 75°47′ W]; 5 Aug. 1965; A. Aldave & M. Fernández 5616; HUT.

Description

Caulescent, herb, to 2 m high. Stem erect, branching; internodes to 7 cm long, to 10 mm thick, woody at the base to succulent, red, glabrous. Stipules deciduous, lanceolate, 6–20 × 3–5 mm, apex acute, translucent, pink to red, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate. Leaves> 5 per stem, alternate, basifixed; petiole 0.3–1 cm long, red, glabrous; blade subsymmetric, lanceolate, to 10 × 4.5 cm, membranaceous, apex acute to acuminate, base oblique, the larger side rounded, the narrower side cuneate, margin serrate, ciliate, upper surface green, glabrous, lower surface light green, glabrous, veins pinnate, with 5–7 secondary veins on the larger side, 5–7 secondary veins on the smaller side. Inflorescences 1–3 per stem, bisexual, axillary, erect, cymose, with up to 4 branches, bearing up to 32 staminate flowers and 32 pistillate flowers, protandrous; peduncle to 8 cm long, light grey, glabrous, bracts deciduous, ovate, 7–10 × 4–6 mm, translucent, white, glabrous, apex acute to obtuse, margin entire, aciliate. Staminate flowers: pedicels to 15 mm long, glabrous; tepals 4, spreading, outer 2 ovate, 6–10 × 6–10 mm, apex obtuse, white, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate, inner 2 elliptic, ca 4 × 2 mm, apex obtuse, white, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; stamens 15–25, projecting, yellow, filaments 1–3 mm long, free, anthers ellipsoid, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm long, dehiscing via lateral slits, connectives extended to 0.2 mm, symmetrically basifixed. Pistillate flowers: pedicels to 15 mm long; bracteoles 1, positioned directly below the ovary, ovate, ca 8 × 7 mm, apex rounded, translucent, colour unknown, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; tepals 5, subequal, deciduous in fruit, spreading, the largest ovate, 8–12 × 4–6 mm, apex rounded, white, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate, the smallest elliptic, 6–10 × 1.5–3 mm, apex rounded, white, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; ovary body ellipsoid, 8–10 × 4–6 mm, white, glabrous, unequally 3-winged, the largest triangular, 10–12 × 5–10 mm, the smallest marginal and 2 mm wide; 3-locular, placentae branches entire, bearing ovules between the surfaces; styles 3, yellow, free, 2–5 mm long, irregularly 3–5-divided, stigmatic papillae in a spirally twisted band. Fruiting pedicel to 25 mm long. Fruit body obovoid, to 25 × 10 mm, drying pale brown, wings same shape as in ovary, the largest expanding to 30 × 20 mm, the smallest expanding to 5 mm wide.

Proposed conservation assessment

Outside of Peru, widespread and often locally common. Its distribution includes numerous protected areas and its EOO is> 6 000 000 km 2. We assess B. guaduensis as Least Concern (LC).

Notes

Previous authors including Smith & Wasshausen (1989) and Doorenbos et al. (1998) have described the placentae of B. guaduensis as divided. All of our dissections of Peruvian collections have shown entire placentae.

Typification notes

The protologue of B. guaduensis cited material collected in Guadas, modern day Colombia, by Humboldt and Bonpland but cited no herbarium ( Humboldt et al. 1825: 178). There are two duplicates collected by Humboldt and Bonpland in Paris herbarium and these were cited by Smith (1973) as the type of B. guaduensis , which constitutes an effective, first stage lectotypification. A second article by Smith & Wasshausen (1979) repeated this citation but also cited a photograph of the holotype in US herbarium. Only one of the two duplicates in Paris has a photograph at Paris herbarium, so this constitutes an effective, second stage lectotypification.

In the protologue of B. ottonis Walp. , the author stated that the species was reported from Caracas ( Walpers 1843a: 212). There are two specimens in Berlin herbarium collected by Johann Wilhelm Karl Mortiz: numbers 124 (F neg. 20888) and 127 (B100243091). The former specimen has a label citing the protologue of B. ottonis , dated Feb. 1843. This date clearly does not refer to the collection date as Moritz returned to Berlin from Venezuela in 1834. We interpret this label as implying that this sheet was used to prepare the description of B. ottonis and accordingly we designate J.W.K. Moritz 124 (B) as the lectotype of B. ottonis . In 1846, Gustav Heynhold published the name B. walpersii Heyn. and included B. ottonis in synonymy. As B. ottonis is a legitimately published name, it should have been adopted by Heynhold so his B. wapersii is an illegitimate later homonym ( Turland et al. 2018: Articles 51.1, 51.2).

In the protologue of B. andreana Sprague , the author cited T.A. Sprague 133 but specifies no herbaria ( Sprague 1905: 433). Sprague was based in Kew, so it is appropriate to designate a duplicate in Kew herbarium as the type. There are two sheets of this collection in Kew and no indication that they are part of the same duplicate. We therefore designate the most complete specimen (K000536730) as the lectotype. Similarly, the protologue of B. serratifolia C.DC. cites H.F. Pittier 5126 but does not specify an herbarium. We know of two duplicates of this collection: one in G and one in US. The specimen in G includes only a fragment in an envelope so we designate the US specimen ( US 00115453) as the lectotype of B. serratifolia .

Identification notes

Both B. guaduensis and B. foliosa are frequently branching terrestrial herbs with pinnate venation within the leaf surface (vs raised from the lower leaf surface). Begonia guaduensis has much larger leaves with more secondary veins than B. foliosa (to 10 × 4.5 cm with 5–7 secondary veins vs to 3.5 × 1.2 cm with 1–4 secondary veins), around half as many stamens (15–25 vs 30–50), and multifid styles (vs bifid). Begonia guaduensis also has highly distinctive fruits, which are among the largest in Peruvian Begonia . The ovary in mature fruits expands to 25 × 10 mm and the largest wing reaches 30 × 20 mm.

Distribution and ecology

Known from Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil. Within Peru, known from Amazonas, Cajamarca, San Martín, and the border of Huánuco and Ucayali Regions ( Fig. 76B ). Found in Amazonian and lower montane forest at an elevation of 350–1500 m a.s.l. Within South America, B. guaduensis has a peri-Amazonian distribution, similar to those of B. arrogans and B. ulmifolia .

Figures

Fig. 76. Distribution of Begonia sect. Lepsia (Klotzsch) A.DC. in Peru and surrounding countries. A. B. foliosa Kunth (red). B. B. guaduensis Kunth. (red). Black lines indicate country borders, grey lines indicate major administrative divisions, blue lines indicate rivers, and shading indicates elevation.