1902. J G. King — Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 57 



reticulated: albumen very scanty or 0. — DlSTRIB. Species 400 (of which 

 398 belong to the genus Begonia), in all tropical moist countries ; not 

 yet met with in Australia. 



1. Begonia, Linn. 

 Characters of the Order. 



3 nearly equal narrow 

 by 2 oblong valves on 



Group I. Capsule 3-cclled, with 

 vertically oblong wings, dehisuin 

 each face between the wings : — 



Small acaulescent herbs, only a few inches in height : 

 leaves rotund-ovate slightly oblique 



Herbs with stems 2 or 3 feet high ; leaves obliquely ovate- 

 oblong or ovate-lanceolate, the base cordate and very 

 unequal-sided : — 



Male flowers '2 to "3 in. across ... 

 Male flowers 1*5 in. across 

 Group II. Capsule 2-celled, triquetrous, with 3 short un- 

 equal wings, dehiscing irregularly by the breaking up of the 

 fragile faces between the wings; anthers obovoid, often 

 einarginate at the apex : — 



Caulescent; rootstock tuberous: — 



Upper surfaces of leaves with numerous adpressed 

 white stellate hairs ; bracts of inflorescence '05 to "1 in. 

 long, densely adpressed-pubescent ; male flowers '2 to 

 '25 in. in diam. ; capsules abont 3 in. broad 

 Upper surfaces of leaves scantily adpressed hairy ; 

 bracts '35 to '5 in. long, glabrous; male flowers '5 in. 

 and capsules '6 in. across 

 Leaves glabrous 

 Acaulescent; rhizome creeping: — 



Leaves rather thick (when dry), rofcund-reniform, 

 deeply cordate the basal lobes overlapping, the nerves 

 beneath and the petioles rusty- tornentose 

 Leaves very thin (when dry), obliquely ovatc-reniform, 

 quite glabrous except for a few sparse hairs on the 

 under surface of the nerves ; petioles glabrous 

 Group III. Capsule 2-celled, triquetrous with 3 wings one 

 of which is much elongated transversely so as greatly to 

 exceed the other two, dehiscing by the rupture of the stout 

 membranous faces between the wings : — 

 Anthers cuneiform-oblong ; leaves peltate 

 Anthers linear-oblong or linear ; leaves not peltate : — 

 Leaves not at all or very little oblique even at the base, 

 not cordate; petioles very long: — 



Leaves with coarse hairs on both surfaces : — 

 Leaves narrowly lanceolate 

 Leaves ovate-lanceolate 



J. ii. 8 



1. B. ForbesiL 



2. B. isoptcra. 



3. B. isopteroidea. 



4. B. sinuata. 



B. andamensis. 

 B. debilis. 



7. B. thaipingensis. 



8. jB. guttata. 



9. B. Hasskarlii. 



10. B. Scortechinii. 



11. B. Kunstleriana. 



