Begonia vinagrera Jara & Zabala-Rivera, 2021

Jara-Muñoz, Orlando Adolfo, Richardson, James E. & Zabala-Rivera, Juan Carlos, 2021, Five new species and three new varieties of Begonia section Casparya endemic to Colombia, Phytotaxa 525 (4), pp. 258-280 : 274-276

Begonia vinagrera Jara & Zabala-Rivera , sp. nov. Figs. 8 , 9 , & 10

Type:— COLOMBIA. Santander: Municipio Charalá, sitio El Bogotacito, después de El Taladro, vía El Carmen-Virolín, 2300 m, 23 November 1994, J. Betancur 5805 ( COL).

Diagnosis:— Begonia vinagrera is morphologically similar to B. cornuta but can be easily distinguished by its glabrous leaves (vs. pubescent) and oblong (vs. ovate) leaf laminae, and the inflorescence that is a monochasium with few flowers (vs. dichasial with many flowers).

Description:—Caulescent herb, to 2 m high. Stem erect, internodes to 7.4 cm long, to 9.6 mm thick, reddishgreen, glabrous. Stipules sub-persistent or early deciduous, lanceolate, oblong or ovate, 6.6–22.9 × 3.6–11.7 mm, apex cuspidate, obtuse or acute, light green or reddish-green, glabrous, margin entire. Petiole 0.9–5.5 cm long, glabrous; lamina of the leaf blade straight to the petiole, coriaceous, strongly asymmetric, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 3.6−14.9 × 0.9−6.5 cm, base unequal, rounded to acute on one side and auriculate on the other side, margin serrate to double serrate, apex acuminate to long acuminate, glabrous on both sides, venation pinnate, 5–8 veined from the base on each side. Inflorescence a dichasium with 2–4 branches, axillary, erect, bisexual or only staminate, protandrous; peduncle 3.1−8.3 (14.3) cm long, glabrous, bracts early deciduous or sub-persistent, glabrous, light green or reddish-green, ovate or obovate, 4.4–7.1 × 2.6–3.7 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse or cuspidate. staminate flowers: pedicels glabrous, white to reddish, 1.7−13.2 mm long; tepals 4, spreading, outer 2 glabrous, white, sometimes pinkish variegated, oblong or ovate, 6.3–13.6 × 3.5–10.1 mm, margin entire, apex rounded, inner 2 glabrous, white, elliptic, oblong-lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, 4.2–8.7 × 1.2–2.8 mm, margin entire, apex rounded or short acuminate; stamens 12–15, projecting, yellow, filaments 0.2–1.8 mm long, on a short column of 0.7–0.8 mm, anthers oblong, 1.4–2.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm, connectives scarcely projecting, to 0.4 mm. Pistillate flowers: pedicels glabrous, white to reddish-white, to 13.7 mm long; bracteoles 2, glabrous, reddish, ovate or obovate, 5.4–9.8 × 4.6–7.6 mm, apex obtuse and 1-setose, margin entire; ovary glabrous, turbinate, 9.7–16 × 11.8–27 mm, green, equally 3-horned, horns slightly curved upward, placenta branches simple, bearing ovules on both surfaces; perianth with 5 spreading tepals, glabrous, white, and sometimes red and white variegated, the outer longer, obovate, 6–18.9 × 3–11.6 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse, the smallest elliptic, 5–5.5 × 2.5–3.4 mm, margin entire, apex acute, rounded or short acuminate; styles multifid, yellow, fused toward the base, 4–6 mm long, stigmatic papillae restricted to the apex. Capsule body and horns shape like those of the ovary, to 21 × 33 mm when mature, drying maroon, column 10–18.9 mm long.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the common name of this species in the department of Santander, where it is known as Vinagrera in Spanish (Agudelo 170).

Distribution and habitat:—The species grows in cloud forest at the border of the departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca, with B. vinagrera var. vinagrera restricted to the locality of Virolín and surrounded areas, mainly in the department of Santander, between 1700 and 2500 m, and B. vinagrera var. pomecensis exclusive to the valley of the Pomeca river in Boyacá. More details can be consulted under the description of each variety.

Conservation status: ―According to the criterion B, with AOO = 43 km 2, growing in a region not severely fragmented, and partially protected by the Santuario de Flora y Fauna de Iguaque, but known from no more than five locations (criterion B2a), and with an observed decline in the AOO and quality of habitat (criterion B2b(iii)), we conclude that this species is in the category Endangered (EN B2a,b(iii)).

Notes:—Specimens of this species (both varieties) have been frequently misidentified in herbaria as Begonia cornuta ; however, both species can be separated as indicated in the diagnosis. A synthetic description of both varieties, including only distinguishing characters, is presented below.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Begonia vinagrera var. vinagrera. A) Branch with flowers, B) Staminate flower, C) Pistillate flower showing perianth, ovary, and bracteoles, D) Fruit. Based on J. Betancur 5805, J.L. Fernandez-Alonso 6250, and pictures of live plants, by O. Bernal.

FIGURE 9. Begonia vinagrera var. pomecensis. A) Branch, B) Staminate flower, C) Pistillate flower, D) Fruit, E) Cross section of the fruit. Based on J.C. Zabala-Rivera et al. 2693 and pictures of live plants, by O. Bernal.