Begonia taiwaniana Hayata

Herbs. Rhizomes short, stout. Stems 40-200 cm tall, branching twice or more, glabrous. Leaves cauline; stipules caducous, narrowly ovate, to 2.7 × 1.9 cm; petiole to 4(-7) cm, glabrous; blade green, occasionally with white dots, lanceolate, asymmetric, 6-14 × 1.5-4 cm, remotely scaberulous, venation palmate-pinnate, 5-8-veined, base oblique, cordate, margin irregularly serrulate, apex acuminate to caudate. Inflorescences 5-11 cm, glabrous; bracts caducous, narrowly triangular, to 2.1 × 0.9 cm, thickly papery, margin entire, apex acuminate. Staminate flowers: pedicel 1-2 cm; tepals 4, white to pinkish, glabrous, outer 2 obovate to very broadly obovate, 0.9-1.8 × 0.8-1.7 cm; inner 2 oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 0.8-1.6 cm × 4-8 mm; stamens 64-91; filaments free; anthers very narrowly obovoid, 0.9-1.8 mm. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 1-2 cm; tepals 5(or 6), subequal, narrowly obovate to orbicular, 0.7-1.6 cm × 4-14 mm; ovary glabrous, 3-loculed; placentae axile, bilamellate; styles 3, free; stigmas 2-cleft, spiraled. Capsule pendulous, unequally 3-winged; abaxial wing falcate, 1.7-2 cm; lateral wings smaller. Fl. Jun-Oct. 2n = 38*.

● Forest understories. S Taiwan.

Begonia taiwaniana var. albomaculata S. S. Ying.