264 BegOniacece. {Begonia. 



3. B. Thwaitesii, Hook. Bot. Mag. 4692 (1853). 

 Reichenheimia Thwaitesii, Klotzsch, Begon. 55. Thw. Enum. 128 



(part). C. P. 3953, 2808 (part). 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 652 (under B. tenera). Bot. Mag. t. 4692 ; Klotzsch, 1. c. 

 t. 4 A. 



Differs from B. tenera in having 1. much more unequal at 

 base, acuminate and more acute at apex, more or less mottled 

 with purple above and with the veins dark purple instead of 

 white ; petioles and scapes much more hairy, even shaggy, 

 with red hair ; capsules longer, \-\ in. 



Lower montane zone, 3000-4000 ft.; rare. Kotmale (Gardner); 

 Matale ; Hunasgiriya. Fl. Sept.-January; pale cream-coloured. 



Endemic. 



The leaves are usually beautifully mottled and variegated with 

 coppery-red, purple and green above, and entirely purple beneath. 



4. B. subpeltata, Wight, Ic. v. 2,9 (1852). 

 Thw. Enum. 128. C. P. 2597. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 653. Wight, Ic. t. 1812. 



Differs from B. tenera in having 1. more acuminate, some- 

 what lobed and more finely hairy ; scapes longer and nearly 

 glabrous ; flowers larger ; ov. quite glabrous. 



Lower montane zone; very rare. Ambagamuwa (Thwaites). Fl. 

 March ; white. 



Also in S. India. 



The leaves are not at all subpeltate in Ceylon specimens. 



The last two species and this are all very closely allied, and are 

 probably only varieties of one. C. P. 346 (see Thw. Enum. 129) from 

 Hiniduma (without flowers), with leaves covered with dense red 

 pubescence, is probably another species or variety of the same series, 

 but it has a larger rootstock and the leaves are less unequal at the base. 



5. B. malabarica, Lam. Encycl. i. 393 (1783). Hakambala, S. 

 Moon Cat. 64. B. dipetala, Graham in Bot. Mag. t. 2849. Thw. 



Enum. 128. C. P. 2807, 3949. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 655. Bot. Mag. t. 2849. Wight, Ic. t. 1813. 



Stem erect, 2-3 ft., cylindrical, stout, zigzag, thickened at 

 the nodes, glabrous, branched ; 1. 4-6 in., numerous, extremely 

 unequal-sided, the large side deeply |-cordate at base, the 

 other simply rounded, very acuminate, acute, sharply spinous- 

 serrate and sometimes coarsely incised, slightly scabrous 

 above or glabrous, paler or purplish, shining and glabrous 

 beneath, petiole succulent, cylindrical, stip. over | in., lanceo- 

 late, acute, membranous, deciduous ; fl. rather large, on long, 

 slender, glabrous, drooping ped. ; per.-segm. 2, orbicular, much 

 broader than long; male fl. : — stam. above 40, fil. connate at 

 very base ; fern. fl. : — ov. quite glabrous, placentas undivided, 

 styles 3, dilated and undulate at ends ; fruit very light and 



