Begonia BEGONIACEAE-THYMELAEACEAE Daphne 



Key to the Species 

 Plants herbaceous, succulent. 

 Plant large, 6 dm. or more high, with tuberous rootstock: lvs. 8-15 

 cm. long; stipules ovate-lanceolate, deciduous: wings of the 



capsule unequal 1 . B. evansiana 



Plant smaller, with fibrous roots: lvs. smaller; stipules ovate, large 



and dry: wings of capsule equal 2. B. semperflorens 



Plant becoming woody, tall: lvs. 10-15 cm. long, profusely white- 

 speckled above 3. B. argento- guttata 



1. Begonia evansiana Andr. %]/$&% (Ch'iu Hai T'ang; Autumn Flowering-apple) 

 (B.M. 696). Succulent herb; fls. pink, VIII. China, Japan; locally in An., Ki., 

 Ku. Planted, ornamental. Fig. 250. 



2. Begonia semperflorens Link & Otto 03 ^MS^ (Ssu Chi Hai T'ang; Four-seasons 

 Flowering-apple) (B.M. 698). Succulent herb; fls. red to white, II. Introduced 

 from Brazil; locally in Ku. Planted, ornamental. 



3. Begonia argento-guttata Lemoine MMM%. (Ma Yeh Hai T'ang; Spotted-leaf 

 Flowering-apple) (B.M. 697). Suffrutescent; fls. pink. Garden origin; locally in 

 Ku. Planted, ornamental. 



118. CACTACEAE Cactus Family {[IjA£f4 (Hsien Jen Chang K'o; 



Fairy-palm Family) 



Succulent green- stemmed usually leafless perennials with spines arising from small 

 cavities (areolae): fls. usually bisexual, solitary and showy, perigynous or epigynous; 

 petals few or numerous; stamens usually many; ovary 1-celled; style 1: fr. a berry, 

 often spiny. 100-120 genera with 1,200-1,800 species, in tropical and subtropical 

 America. A few cultivated or naturalized in China. 



1. Zygocactus K. Schum. Wt%M~5MWk (Hai Tsu Pa Wang Shu Shu) 



Flat-stemmed, short-jointed mostly spineless cacti with conspicuous irregidar fls. 

 Growing naturally as epiphytes on trees. One species cultivated in China for its 

 flowers. (Latin: zygo and cactus; cactus with zygomorphic flowers.) 



1. Zygocactus truncatus Schum. Christmas Cactus W:^M~iM (Hsieh Tsu Pa Wang 

 Shu; Crab-footed Great King Shrub) (B.M. 705). Succulent, vinelike; fls. red, 

 irregular; fr. red. Introduced from Brazil; locally in Ku. Planted, ornamental. 



119. THYMELAEACEAE Mezereum Family i^§£f (Shui Hsiang K'o) 



Trees, shrubs (ours) or herbs with tough acrid bark and simple entire usually 

 exstipulate lvs.; fls. regular, perfect or sometimes unisexual, often apetalous (ours); 

 calyx tubular, often corolline, 4-5-lobed; stamens as many as or 2xthe calyx lobes; 

 anthers opening by long slits; ovary superior: fr. 1-seeded. 40 genera with 500 

 species, widely distributed; 6 genera and 50 species in China. 



Key to the Genera 



Fls. in terminal or lateral heads or clusters, subtended by involucrate 

 bracts: lvs. alternate. 



Stigma capitate, large, sessile; disk wanting 1 . Daphne 



Stigma linear; style long; disk annular or lobulate 2. Edgeworthia 



Fls. in terminal spikes: bracts wanting: lvs. opposite 3. Wikstroemia 



265 



