Begonia.'] LXVI. BEGONIACE^. .(C. B. Clarke.) 639 



PINANG ; Evans ex Andrews. DISTRIB. Java, China, Japan. 



Rootstock tuberous (ex A. DC.)- Stem 2 ft., nearly glabrous ; peduncles from the 

 upper axils, elongate, several times dichotomous. Leaves*&-6 in,, somewhat angular 

 and denticulated ; petiole 2-6 in. ; stipules ovate-lanceolate, glt^rous. Flowers, bracts, 

 and pedicels rose. MALE : sepals 2, round, glabrous ; petals 2, smaller ; stamens very 

 many (more than 50), long mon^delphous ; anthers obovoid ; connective not produced. 

 FEMALE : perianth-segments 5, glabrous, inner smaller ; styles 3, nearly distinct, 

 divided about half-way into two tortuous branches. Capsule f by 1 in. including 

 the wings, the faces ribbed down the. middle ; styles persistent; wings sttghtly 

 ascending ; capsule dehiscing by two valves on each face, one valve on either side of 

 the central rib. There is no example from Pinang in the Kew Herbarium. 



12. B. Joseph!, A. DC. Prodr. xv. pt. i. 313; little hairy, leaves ovate 

 little unequal at the base peltate (at least when young), capsule 3-winged, one 

 wing much the longer. B. scutata, Wall Cat. 3686 A, not of A. DC. 



SLTUUM, alt. 3000-8000 ft., the commonest species. KHASIA MTS., alt. 4000- 

 6000ft; U.f. 8f T. 



Very variable in size and habit, stemless or stem leafy, always easily recognised 

 by the peltate leaves. Rootstock of one or few tubers. Stem generally 0. Radical 

 leaves (on petioles 410 in.) often 6 in., sometimes nearly regularly ovate acuminate, 

 acutely 3-lobed or orbicular with numerous acute lobes, serrate or doubly serrate or 

 less often almost entire, usually nearly glabrous but often slightly pubescent on the 

 nerves beneath sometimes weakly pilose above ; stipules ovate, deciduous, glabrous 

 or nearly so. Scape 1 ft., usually repeatedly dichotomous with long lower branches, 

 soon entirely naked ; bracts caducous, caulescent and leafy ; flowers rather small, 

 rose. MALE : sepals 2, caducous ; petals 2, smaller ; stamens shortly monadelphous, 

 sometimes 8-30 ; anthers obovoid ; connective not produced. FEMALE : perianth- 

 segments 4-6 ; styles 3, nearly separate, 2-fid near the top, stigmas in large specimens 

 2 tortuous, in small simple lunate. Capsule ^ by ^ in. including the wings, styles 

 persistent, upper margin of the wing horizontal, narrow between the two very 

 narrow wings, the other faces broader below ; dehiscing first by 4 lines, two on 

 either side of each of the two narrow wings. Seeds short-ellipsoid. All three varie- 

 ties are equally common in Sikkim and pass into each other: only the typical 

 has been collected in Khasia. The plant is believed to be very plentiful in West 

 Bhotan and East Nipal, but all the numerous Himalayan examples at Kew are 

 from Sikkim itself. As regards the name : Wallich's Begonias are greatly mixed : 

 even on the same sheets. The three sheets of No. 3686 at Kew are B. scutata, 

 A. DC., but the type sheet of B. scutata No. 3686 in the Linnsean Society's Her- 

 barium is B. Josephi, A. DC., which is also mixed with B. picta in the sheet of 

 3685 A. 



VAR. 1. typica; peduncles elongated, leaves large often lobed, ovary flowers and 

 capsule glabrous. B. Josephi. A. DC. I. c. 



VAR. 2. macrocarpa, A. DC. 1. c. ; ovary flowers and capsule with lax hairs. 

 Both large and very small plants occur with a hairy ovary ; the fruit is not larger 

 than in the typical form. 



VAR. 3. minima ; scape 2-3 in., leaf small without lobes, ovary usually glabrous. 



13. B. pedunculosa. Wall. PL As. Rar. 82, t. 97; Cat. 3672 A not B; 

 caulescent with subterminal inflorescence, leaves narrow-oblong acute from an 

 unequally cordate base pilose above, stipules and bracts persistent. A. DC. 

 Prodr. xv. pt. i. 314. 



KHASIA MTS., alt. 3000-6000 ft., frequent. BHOTAN ; Griffith. 



Rootstock tuberous, or elongate woody. Stem erect, 4-8 in., usually with some 

 brown hairs and zigzag, not unfrequently bearing bulbils in the upper axils. Leaves 

 2-3 in., sharply doubly-serrate, pubescent on the nerves beneath ; petiole usually 

 short (less than 1 in.) but sometimes elongate ; stipules - in.,. ovate, acute, ciliate. 

 Cyme repeatedly dichotomous ; bracts ovate, acute, ciliate ; flowers small, rose-red. 



