Begonia.] LXVI. BEGONIACE^;. (C. B. Clarke.) 655 



minute. Sepals of either sex 2, ^ in., round, emarginate, a little broader than long; 

 petals of either sex ; stamens many, free, anthers oblong. Styles 3, bifid at the 

 apex. Capsule - in-, ovat, acute, glabrous, 3-winged ; wings retrorsely produced 

 below the cells, 2 broad-oblong obtuse, the other linear-oblong; placentas undivided. 

 Seeds small, short, ellipsoid. 



** Stem elongate with lateral inflorescence. 

 f Perianth of the malejlmver of 4 segments. 



63. B. Wallichiana, A. DC. Prodr. xv. pt. i. 383 ; young parts pedicels 

 and ovary with short viscid pubescence. 



Morung Mountains ; Hamilton ex Wall. Cat. 



Branch more than 10 in. long, dividing repeatedly, with many leaves, and flowers 

 from the lowermost as well as the upper axils. Leaves 2-3 in., cordate, ovate, very 

 unequal at the base, dentate-serrate, with very short viscid pubescence on both sur- 

 faces ; petiole ^-1 in., viscidly pubescent ; stipules in., ovate, acute, ciliate. Pedun- 

 cles 2 in., few-flowered ; bracts in., ovate, acute, scarious, pubescent, persistent. 

 MALE: sepals 2, J in., round-elliptic ; petals 2, narrower; stamens (ex A. DC.) mo- 

 nadelphous, anthers ovoid, connective not produced. FEMALE : styles 3, free, each 

 ending in two long curved and twisted branches. Capsule f by f in. including the 

 wings, at length glabrous, wings subequal, broadest near the base of the capsule, their 

 margin everywhere rounded. Seeds ellipsoid. The locality of this plant is very 

 doubtful. By Morung Hamilton understood the Terai from the river Teesta to the 

 Kooshee (see Hamilton's Nepal p. 151): this tract has been explored by very good 

 collectors '(J. Scott, Gamble, &c.) since, and no plant at all corresponding to the pre- 

 sent large species has been obtained : indeed Alph. DC. doubts (and with reason) 

 whether any such plant has ever been found in Asia. 



ft Perianth of the male flower of 2 segments only. 



64. B. malabarica, Lamk. Diet. i. 393, not of Hoxb. ; flowers medium 

 large, capsule more than in.. Wall. Cat. 3676, excl. .D ; A. DC. Prodr. xv. 

 pt. i. 392 ; Thwaites JSnum. 128 (0) only. B. dipetala, Grah. in Sot. Mag. t. 

 2849 ; Lodd. Sot. Cab. t. 1730 ; Lindl $ Paxt. Flow. Gard. i. t. 14 ; Wight Ic. 

 t. 1813 ; A. DC. I. c. 391. B. tuberosa, Herb. Mad. ; Wall. Cat. 3675. B. 

 hydrophila, Miq. in Flora 1853, 769 ; A. DC. I. c. 392. 



MALABAR MTS. ; common, ascending to 6000 ft. ; and in CEYLON. 



Stem often 2 ft., repeatedly dividing, with many leaves. Leaves 2-4 in., cordate, 

 acute, very unequal at the base, crenate or serrate, pilose above and sometimes pu- 

 bescent beneath, or altogether glabrous ; petiole 1-5 in. ; stipules f in., persistent, 

 ovate, acute, glabrous. Peduncles axillary, rarely exceeding 2-3 in., glabrous or nearly 

 so; bracts f in., lanceolate, acute; flowers rose-coloured, not very many on one 

 peduncle. MALE : sepals 2, |-| in., round, glabrous ; petals ; stamens 40, shortly 

 monadelphous, anthers obovoid, connective not produced. FEMALE : perianth nearly 

 as in the male ; styles 3, little combined at the base, each dividing into two curved 

 and twisted branches. Capsule f by f in. including the wings ; wings little unequal, 

 continued all round the capsule, rounded altogether or having an obtuse angle at the 

 outer upper margin. Seeds ellipsoid, slightly obovoid. The following are distin- 

 guished as species by Alph. DC. 



VAR. 1. dipetala; leaves pilose above and sometimes pubescent beneath, capsule 

 without any angle on the wings. This is the old B. tuberosa of the Madras Herba- 

 rium and B. dipetala vera of Thwaites. But there are examples at Kew in ripe fruit 

 which have most of the capsules round- winged, others on the same stem angularly 

 winged ; and in the large series of examples the pubescence is often evanescent or all 

 but so. 



VAR. 2. hydrophila; leaves pilose above, capsule shorter than in var. 1, the wings 

 broader and more unequal. 



