Begonia vermeulenii D.C.Thomas

Thomas, Daniel C. & Ardi, Wisnu H., 2020, Synopsis of Begonia (Begoniaceae) of southwest Sulawesi and the Selayar Islands, Indonesia, including one new species, Phytotaxa 437 (2), pp. 73-96 : 93-94

14. Begonia vermeulenii D.C.Thomas in Thomas et al. (2011: 248)

Sect. Petermannia

Type:— INDONESIA. Sulawesi, South Sulawesi: Buntu area, Kampong Lokkok , alt. 1500 m, limestone slope with remnants of primary forest, secondary forest, low scrub, grassland and agricultural land ; in disturbed primary forest with dense undergrowth, 15 Sep. 2003, J.J. Vermeulen 2301 (holo WAG!, iso SING!) .

Additional literature:— Hughes et al. (2018: 338) [photo plate].

Distribution: — Indonesia; endemic to Sulawesi: South Sulawesi (Buntu area) ( Fig. 1B ).

Habitat:— Upland to montane rainforest on limestone slopes at ca. 1500 to 1700 m elevation.

Provisional IUCN conservation assessment: — Endangered (EN) B1ab(iii),B2ab(iii). This species is known from only a single collection from a forest patch in an area where most vegetation has been extensively modified by human activity (see map in Cannon et al. 2005), but there are some additional confirmed observations from South Sulawesi (see Fig. 1B ). Because of the very small EOO and AOO, as well as the observed disturbance and loss of forest habitat in the area, we assess this species as Endangered.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution maps of Begonia species occurring on the southwestern arm of Sulawesi or the Selayar Islands (georeferenced specimen data from major collections [B, BO, E, K, KRB, L, SING], the Begonia Resource Center [Hughes et al. 2015a], as well as some additional confirmed observations). Grey lines indicate 1° graticules.