Tab. 5545. 

 BEGONIA Pearcei. 



Mr. Pearces Begonia. 



Nat. Ord. BEGONIACEiE. — Mon(ecia Polyandria. 

 Gen. Char. {Vide supra, Tab. 4131.) 



Begonia Pearcei (§ Huszia, §§ Paucipetalas, A. De Cand.); caule herbaceo 

 erecto folioso pubescente, foliis palmatim plurinerviis oblique ovatis acumi- 

 natis basi cordatis iiTeguIariter crenato-serratis, petiolis lamina brevioribus, 

 stipulis ovatis ciliatis, pedunculis folio longioribus bifloris, bracteis ovatis 

 rotundatisve ciliatis, floribus flavis ; fl. masc. sepalis 2 amplis rotundatis 

 petalis 2 obovatis vix brevioribus,/. foam, lobis 5 obovatis obtusis, ovario 

 pubescente trialato. 



A very beautiful species, nearly allied in botanical characters 

 to B. cinnabarina (Bot. Mag. 4483), introduced from La Paz by 

 Messrs. Veitch, where it was obtained by Mr. Pearce, whose 

 name well deserves to be associated with it. The foliage is very 

 pretty, the leaves being of a dark velvet-green above, dull-red 

 traversed by pale-green nerves beneath, and in agreeable contrast 

 with the rather large, bright-yellow, overtopping flowers. 



Descr. Stem succulent, pubescent, leafy. Leaves obliquely 

 ovate, acuminate, cordate at the base, irregularly crenate-serrate, 

 on petioles of about half their length, dark velvet-green and 

 nearly glabrous above, dull red beneath excepting the nervines. 

 Peduncles erect, two-flowered, exceeding the leaves. Bracts ro- 

 tundate or elliptical, entire, pubescent or ciliate. Bowers yellow, 

 about an inch to an inch and a quarter across ; malefl. perianth 

 quadripartite, two outer segments ample, rotundate, two inner 

 rather smaller, about equal in length to the outer ; female fl. with 

 a quinquepartite perianth, lobes obovate-oblong, obtuse. Stamens 

 indefinite, free ; filaments filiform ; anthers obovate, obtuse, two- 

 celled. Ovary three-winged, three-celled, with indefinite ovules 

 on each side of the forked placentas ; styles spirally stigmatose ; 

 capsule not seen. 



Kg. 1. Stamen. 2. Ovary and styles. 3. Transverse section of an ovary :— 

 Magnified. 



NOVEMBER 1ST, \865. 



