Tas. 4692. 
BEGONIA THWAITESII. 
Mr. Thwaites's Begonia. 
Nat. Ord. Brgon1acem.—Mona@cia PotyanpRia. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, Tas. 4172.) 
Breonta Thowaitesii ; acaulis, foliis vix inzequilateralibus longiuscule petiolatis 
cordatis acutis vel acuminatis obscure lobatis crenato-serratis intense viridi- 
purpureis albo-maculatis superne subtusve pilis copiosis purpureis velu- 
tinis marginibus nudis, stipulis ovatis acuminatis, scapis plurimis petiolis 
brevioribus, floribus subumbellatis tetrasepalis, capsule angulis tribus brevi- 
bus rotundatis subsqualibus duplicato-ciliatis. 
Among the many handsome new species of this most extensive 
genus, I scarcely know one with more richly-coloured foliage 
than the present, nor one that better deserves to bear the name 
of its discoverer, Mr. Thwaites, the present able superinten- 
dent of the Botanic Garden at Peradenia, Ceylon. We are in- 
debted to that gentleman for living plants of it, which flowered 
in a warm stove in June of the present year, 1852. ‘The flowers 
are moderately large, white, tinged with pink ; but they are quite 
thrown in the background by the comparatively large highly- 
coloured coppery leaves, clothed on both surfaces with the deep 
red-purple velvety hairs, the edge being free from-hairs. By 
‘these leaves, and by the nearly equal and short wings of the fruit, 
bearing a double row of hairs, the species is readily distinguished. 
Drscr. Leaves altogether radical, springing several from one 
point on longish petioles, which are stipulated at the base : their 
form is broad, cordate, scarcely unequally sided; the simus deep, 
the /obes rounded, the apex acute or acuminated, the margin (not 
hairy) slightly lobed (especially the larger ones), and crenato- 
dentate: the colour is rich coppery, a mixture of green and red- 
purple, redder beneath, the upper surface frequently blotched 
With white; a still greater richness of colour is given to both 
surfaces by the copious deep purple velvety hairs, which do not 
JANUARY lst, 1853. 
a ” 3 
aa. 0 a eae tar ench 
