Begonia crocea C.-I Peng, a new species from Yunnan province, China and B. xanthina Hook., a new distributional record for China are here reported and fully illustrated. Both of them are assignable to Begonia sect. Platycentrum. Unlike the great majority of Chinese species with white to pink flowers, B. crocea and B. xanthina are remarkable for bearing orange-red and yellow flowers respectively, which is of much horticultural attraction. Begonia crocea resembles B. megalophyllaria in aspect, differing mainly in having densely pilose petioles, the leaves being sparsely pilose abaxially, and having orange-red tepals. Plants of B. megalophyllaria are glabrous throughout and their tepals are white, sometimes tinged greenish. Begonia xanthina is somewhat similar to B. rex, a notable plant of tremendous horticultural interest, but is readily distinguishable by the yellow tepals and leaves that lack long setose hairs and horseshoe-shaped maculation. In B. rex the tepals are pinkish to pink and the leaves are setose and marked with a distinct grayish to pale greenish horseshoe-shaped band on the adaxial surface.
1.Acad Sinica, Res Ctr Biodivers, Herbarium, Taipei 115, Taiwan 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Kunming Inst Bot, Kunming 650204, Peoples R China
Recommended Citation:
Peng, CI; Leong, WC; Shui, YM.Novelties in Begonia sect. Platycentrum for China: B. crocea, sp nov and B. xanthina Hook., a new distributional record,BOTANICAL STUDIES,2006,47(1):89-96
