Tap. 8258, 
BEGONIA MODICA, 
Tropical West Africa. 
BEGONIACEAE. 
Braonta, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. i, p, 841. 
Begonia (Scutobegonia) modica, Stapf in Kew Bull. 1908, p. 259; species 
B: calabaricae, Stapf, affinis sed ab ea foliis minime cordatis, ovarii alis 
superne (saltem duabus) latissimis et fructu obpyramidato distincta. 
Herba subacaulis, Foliorum petioli 3-4 em. longi, rabezcentes, hirsuto-villosi; 
laminae oblique lateque peltato-ovatae, 5-8 cm. longae, 4-6 cm. latae, 
leviter crenatae et undulatae, carnosulae, praeter margines obscure rubentes 
laete virides, supra glaberrimae, subtus molliter hirsutae, nervis 6-8 radi- 
antibus, umbone ubi margini proximo ab eo 1-1°5 em.remoto. Pedunculi 
pauciflori, 2-3 em. longi, sparse pilosi. lores umbellati, lutei, 2 maseuli 
pedice!lati, 1 femineus subsessilis: masculorum pedicelli ad 18 mm. longi, 
glabri; sepala 2, rotundato-elliptica, 1 em. longa, superum extra rubro- 
suffusum, intus maculo fere sanguineo ornatum, inferam utrinque sulphu- 
reum ; petala 0; stamina 12-13, filamentis basi in columnam connatis: 
foeminei sepala ut in masculis sed sul orbicularia; petala 0; styli 4, basi 
breviter connati; stigmata reniformia papillarum ser‘e continua, 1°5 mm. 
lata ; ovarium sub anthesi rubens, 9 mm. longum, 4-5 mm. latum alis 
inferne paul» attenuatis inclusis.—O. Stapr. 
Begonia modica is a member of the section Seutobegonia, 
which includes a small group of species all of them confined 
to West Africa from Liberia to the Congo. The species of 
this section are small herbs mostly with peltate leaves and 
yellow flowers. The plant from which the figure here given 
has been prepared was raised from one of a number of tubers 
of the species received at Kew in 1907 from Mr. J. Anderson, 
Curator of the Botanic Station, Kumasi, who had found them 
growing in the Gold Coast Colony on rocky ground at an 
altitude of 600 ft. above sea level. Under the treatment 
ordinarily accorded to Begonias these tubers developed their 
leaves and flowered for the first time in September, 1908. 
Descriprion.—Herb, almost stemless. Leaves petioled ; 
petioles 14-14 in. long, reddish, hirsute; blades obliquely 
widely peltate-ovate, 2-33 in. long, 13-2} in. wide, slightly 
crenate and undulate, somewhat fleshy, bright green, except 
JuNnE, 1909. 
