Begonia umbratica S.Julia

Sang, Julia, Kiew, Ruth & Yiing, Ling Chea, 2018, The Begonia flora of Gunung Mulu and Gunung Buda National Parks, Sarawak, Borneo, including five new species, Phytotaxa 381 (1), pp. 58-79 : 73

16. Begonia umbratica S.Julia

Phytotaxa 99(1) (2013) 24; Kiew et al., Guide to Begonias of Borneo (2015)270. Type: — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sarawak. Marudi District : Gunung Mulu NP, Bukit Agung, 16 April 2012, Julia et al. SFC 2814 (holotype SAR!) .

Distribution: — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sarawak. Endemic in Gunung Mulu NP.

Habitat: —In lowland limestone forest, it grows on limestone-derived soil at the base of vertical cliffs or on steep scree slopes with a guano layer or in wet and shaded conditions at 102–220 m elevation.

Additional specimens examined: — MALAYSIA. Borneo. Sarawak. Marudi District: Gunung Mulu NP – Boardwalk to Deer Cave, Julia et al. S 99203 (SAR), Julia et al. S 99205 (SAR), Julia et al. S 99202 (SAR), Julia et al. S 99220 (SAR); Bukit Berar, Julia et al. S 99213 (SAR), Julia et al. S 99214 (SAR). Gunung Buda NP – Gunung Buda, Chai S 39468 (SAR).

Notes: —A rather shrubby cane-like herb to 1 m tall, often bushy and branched. It has a ridged and robust stem, to 5–7 mm diameter when dried. The stems, leaves and petioles are velvety with dense unbranched, short multicellular hairs. Its leaves are held horizontally, oblique, broadly ovate, 13–20 × 11.5–21 cm, broad side 7–11 cm, asymmetric with an acumen to 1 cm long. The stipules have a distinct midrib, are lanceolate, ca. 30 × 8 mm. Its venation is palmate, the veins laxly arranged. The racemose inflorescence, 3–4 cm long, is shorter than the petiole and is supported by a rather large bract, 30–35 × 10–14 mm.