Tab. 7347. 



BEGONIA SOABEIDA. 



Native of Venezuela. 



Nat. Ord. Begoniace,e. 

 Genus Begonia, Linn. ; (Benth, & Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 841 J 



Begonia scabrida ; f ruticosa, patentim pilosa, foliia oblique ovato- y.rotundato- 

 cordatis acutis dentatis supra sparsim subtus ad nervos pilosis, petiolo 

 crasso limbo breviore piloso, stipulis majusculis oblongis obtusis, cyma 

 ampla longe pedunculata dichotome ramosa, pedunculo piloso, ramis 

 ramulisque divaricatis glabris, bracteis minutis linearibus patulis, floribus 

 albisumbellulatis, masc. sepalis ovato-rotundatis, petalis multo minoribas 

 oblongis, staminibus innumeris antheris filamentis longioribus,,/?. fern., 

 bracteolis minutis ovario appressis, sepalis 5 oblongis obtusis concavis, 

 ovarii glabri ala majore ovata obtusa superue truncata, placentia 

 tripartitis. 



B. scabrida, A.BC. in DC Prodr. vol. xv. pt. i. p. 367. 



Wageneria scabrida, Klotzsch in Herb. Berol. 



A fine bushy Begonia, long cultivated at Kew under the 

 above name, differing somewhat from A. De Candolles' de- 

 scription of B. scabrida, in the small size of the petals of the 

 male flowers ; and if it is rightly placed in the section to 

 which Klotzsch referred it (Wageneria) in the more impor- 

 tant character of the bipartite placentas. But M. de 

 Candolle does not appear to have verified this latter point ; 

 all he says is, " it would appear that Klotzsch saw entire 

 placentas, from the fact of his having placed it in his genus 

 Wageneria." Its nearest affinity is with B. dichotoma, 

 Jacq. (Collectanea, p. 250 ; Icon. Barior. vol. iii. p. 18, tab. 

 619), which it very strongly resembles in all respects, but 

 has flowers more than twice as large. 



B. scabrida was no doubt received at Kew upon the 

 distribution of the species after its introduction by the col- 

 lector Moritz, who visited Venezuela about the year 1837. 

 It is a noble plant, flowering annually profusely in early 

 spring. 



Descr. — A bush five feet high, and as much in diameter ; 

 branches stout, cylindric, green, copiously hairy. Leaves 

 a foot and more in diam., from ovate to orbicular-cordate, 

 acute, very oblique, irregularly toothed, deep green and 



Aphil 1st, 1894. 



