Begonia ozotothrix D.C.Thomas

Ardi, Wisnu H., Chikmawati, Tatik, Witono, Joko R. & Thomas, Daniel C., 2018, A synopsis of Begonia (Begoniaceae) of Southeastern Sulawesi including four new species, Phytotaxa 381 (1), pp. 27-50 : 43-45

9. Begonia ozotothrix D.C.Thomas in Thomas et al. (2009: 105) ( Figures 1 & 10 ) Sect. Petermannia Type:— INDONESIA. Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi: Tojo Una-una District , close to Watusongo Village , Mt. Katopas , on wet rock wall at riverbank, 01º09’17.90” S, 121º89’40.50” E, 615 m, 7 May 2008, D.C. Thomas & W.H. Ardi 08-67 (holotype E!; isotypes BO!,

CEB!).

Distribution:— Indonesia; endemic to Sulawesi. Relatively widespread on Sulawesi with collections and observations from Central Sulawesi (Mt. Katopas and Mt. Lumut), South Sulawesi (Enrekang District, Bantimurung National Park), and Southeast Sulawesi (Sikori village, Bombana District).

Habitat:— Forest floor, the base of limestone boulders, and wet rock walls or limestone cliffs in lowland to upland primary to strongly disturbed rainforest at ca. 200–800 m elevation.

Notes:— Begonia ozotothrix is a very distinct species in Begonia sect. Petermannia due to its indumentum of branched trichomes on stems and petioles (see Thomas et al. 2009a; Ardi & Thomas, 2015). It was originally described based on specimens collected from Mt. Lumut and Mt. Katopasa (Balingara mountain range) in Central Sulawesi ( Thomas et al. 2009a). Since then, it has been collected and observed in lowland limestone forest habitats in South Sulawesi (Bantimurung National Park, see Thomas et al. 2011; Massenrempulu Enrekang Botanic Gardens, Bone Karst), and Southeast Sulawesi (Bombana District), indicating that it is widespread on Sulawesi.

Provisional IUCN conservation assessment: — Least Concern (LC). Begonia ozotothrix is endemic to Sulawesi but relatively widespread on the island (EOO: 62,257 km 2) occurring in primary to strongly disturbed lowland to upland limestone forest habitats. Its range includes the legally protected Bantimurung National Park in South Sulawesi. Consequently, it should be considered Least Concern (LC).

Additional specimens examined: — INDONESIA. Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi: Bombana Regency, Rakadua, Sikori village , 28 Feb. 2017, W.H. Ardi WI 188 ( BO; KRB; SING) ; Bombana Regency, Rakadua, Sikori Village , 28 Feb. 2017, W.H. Ardi, WI 189 ( BO; KRB; SING) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map.A. Overview of Sulawesi. B. Distributions of B. aptera, B. johntania, B. mekonggensis, and B. ozotothrix.C. Distributions of B. balgooyi, B.flacca, B. matarombeoensis, and B. watuwilensis. D. Distributions of B.incudiformicarpa, B. iskandariana, and B. tumburanoensis. Specimen location information was georeferenced using the GeoNames geographical database at http://www. geonames.org/.

FIGURE 10. Begonia ozotothrix A. Habit, plant in situ; scale bar: 10 cm. B. Branched hairs on petiole; scale bar: 1 mm. C. Male inflorescence; scale bar: 1 cm. D. Female flowers; scale bar: 1 cm. E. Infructescence; scale bar: 1 cm. F. Ovary, cross section of middle part; scale bar: 5 mm. A, C−E from Ardi, W.H. 188; B from cultivated material, Sopian s.n; F from DCT 08-58 (Photos: W.H. Ardi).