Begonia lancangensis S. H. Huang

This species resembles Begonia roxburghii A. Candolle of the Himalayas but differs by its puberulous habit and the stem without red, linear dots.

Herbs, dioecious. Rhizomes short, stout. Stems erect, 80-120 cm tall, 1.2-2.6 cm in diam., puberulous. Leaves cauline; stipules brown, ovate-triangular, 1.2-3.1 × 0.8-1.4 cm, glabrous, apex acuminate; petiole 15-40 cm; blade ovate or ovate-oblong, asymmetric, 10-35 × 7-20 cm, abaxially puberulous on veins, adaxially glabrous, venation palmate, 6- or 7-veined, base oblique, cordate, margin irregularly serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences strongly reduced; bracts ovate, 0.7-1.4 cm, glabrous, apex acute and shortly cuspidate. Flowers fragrant. Staminate flowers: pedicel 1-2 cm; tepals 4, outer 2 greenish at base or white, abaxially puberulous, ca. 2.6 × 3.1 cm, inner 2 white, ca. 2.3 × 1.8 cm; stamens ca. 70; filaments 2-2.5 mm; anthers 4.3-4.8 mm. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 2.5-4 cm; tepals 4, white, outer 2 broadly ovate, 2.5-3.2 × 1.8-2 cm, inner 2 obovate or oblong, 1.8-2 × 0.7-1 cm; ovary obovoid, ca. 1 cm, subglabrous, 4-loculed; placentae axile, bilamellate; styles 4, stigmas 2-cleft, spiraled. Fruit berrylike, 4-horned. Fl. Feb-Mar, fr. Apr-Jul.

Yunnan (Lancang).

● Evergreen broad-leaved forests; ca. 1600 m.