Begonia charlesjarosiana L.Kollmann, 2019

Kollmann, Ludovic Jean Charles, 2019, NOVELTIES IN BRAZILIAN BEGONIACEAE I: two new species from Bahia, Phytotaxa 404 (2), pp. 65-73 : 69-72

2. Begonia charlesjarosiana L.Kollmann sp. nov. (figs 2, 4, 5)

Begonia angularis auct. non. Raddi., Gregório, Flora da Bahia: Begoniaceae . Sitientibus série Ciências Biológicas 16:1–52.

Diagnosis: — Begonia charlesjarosiana is closely related to Begonia angularis Raddi but can be distinguished by the deciduous stipules (versus persistent), persistent bracts (versus deciduous), pistillate flower with 2 prophyles (versus.without prophyles.), and its flabellate style (versus rounded and twisted style).

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Jaguaquara, distrito de Baixão de Ipiúna, 676m elevation, 13°14’04’’S 39°48’57’’W, L. Kollmann & L. Daneu 13447, 26 October 2017 (holotype MBML [MBML53013!], isotype CEPEC!,, RB!).

Sub-shrub, erect, 0.6–1.8 m high, glandulate trichomes. Stems internodes 1–6 cm long, green. Stipules, 1.5–2.3 × 0.5–2 cm, oblong, apex rounded to obtuse, mucronate, carinate on abaxial face, margins entire, deciduous. Petioles 2–11.5 cm long, green. Lamina 14–27 × 5.5–12.5 cm, asymmetrical, basifixed, lanceolate to elliptical, green, pinkish in abaxial face, apex acuminate, base cordate, margin crenate, sparsely ciliate, actinodromous, 5–6 veins at base. Inflorescences 13–26 cm long, 2–5-dichasial first cymes, later monochasial cymes with 4–7 staminate flowers, one pistillate flower apical; bracts persistent, 0.5–1 × 0.9–1.65 mm, ovate, apex obtuse to rounded. Staminate flowers: pedicels 7–10 mm long, white; 2-sepals, 5–8 × 4–6 mm, white, oblong to rounded, apex rounded, margins entire; 2-petals, 3–5 × 1.3–3 mm, white, lanceolate to elliptical, apex rounded to acute, margins entire; stamens 10–18, yellow, filaments not equal, 0.2–1 mm long, anthers 1.75–2.3 mm long, rimose, oblong, connective projecting, apex obtuse. Pistillate flowers: pedicels 0.8–3 cm long, white; prophyles 2, 0.5–1 × 0.5–1.5 mm, deltoid, apex rounded; 2-sepals, 3.5–4.3 × 2.2–3 mm, white, elliptical to oblong, apex obtuse; 3-petals, 5–5.2 × 3 mm, white, elliptical to oblong, apex obtuse; ovary 3-locular, placentation axile, one placentae per locule, ovules on both sides of placentae; 3-styles, 2.5–3.2 mm, yellow, flabellate, unequal branches, united at base, 2–3 divided, entirely covered with band of stigmatic papillae. Pedicels of fruit 1–2.2 cm long. Capsule 9–12 × 4.5–10 mm, basally dehiscent, 3-wings, unequal, larger one 1.6–2.9 × 1.2–3 cm, ascendant, apex acute to rounded, smaller two 1–1.7 × 0.5–1 cm, ascendant, apex obtuse to acute. Seeds ca. 0.45 mm, oblong, apex truncate.

Paratypes:— BRAZIL, Bahia, Amargosa, Serra do Timbó, Fazenda do Sr ; Arlindo , F.M. ferreira et al. 1830, 16 November 2007 (CEPEC[ CEPEC121696 ]!) ; Bahia, Jaguaquara, Serra do Timbó, distrito de Baixão de Ipiuna, D.C. Zappi et al. 3378, 09October 2012 (HUEFS[ HUEFS198462 ]!, RB [ RB570415 ]!) ; Bahia: Wenceslau Guimarães, Estação Ecológica Estadual Nova Esperança, margem da Cachoeira do rio Serra Grande , 27 july 2001, (fl., fr.), L.A. MattosSilva et al. 4489 (HUEFS[ HUEFS60043 ]!, UESC[ UESC6325 ]!, CEPEC[ CEPEC91574 ]!, ALCB[ ALCB58598 ]) ; Wenceslau Guimarães, Estação Ecológica Estadual de Wenceslau Guimarães, trilha da Petioba , 24 May 2013, (fr.), B.S. Gregorio 253 (HUEFS[ HUEFS216199 ]!). Wenceslau Guimarães , Estação Ecológica , ao lado da Cachoeira , 17 october 2012, (fr.), W. Milliken et al. 5106 (HURB [ HURB4660 ]!, FUEL [ FUEL52777 ]!, ALCB [ ALCB11765 ], HUEFS[ HUEFS198461 ]!, HUEFS[ HUEFS203578 ]!) .

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Begonia charlesjarosiana occurs between 500–700 m elevation, in sandy soil or humus on rocks in forest. The predominant vegetation is dense Ombrophilous Forest (Atlantic Forest). It flowers between July and October and bares fruits between May to November.

Conservation status:— Considering the Area of Occupancy of about 12 km 2, and the Extent of Occurrence of 199 km 2 and due to the low number of known locations and decline in quality of habitat, we classify the species as Endangered according to IUCN’s category B1a and B2ab(iii) ( IUCN 2017). Although species populations are within a Conservation Unit (the Ecological State Station of Wenceslau Guimarães) the area is subject to high levels of deforestation and land use changes, thus Begonia charlesjarosiana can be considered Endangered.

Etymology:— The name of the new species is a posthumous homage to Charles Jaros, who has greatly contributed to knowledge of the begonias and had an important contribution at the American Begonian Society.

Notes:— Culture of cacao, fruits, coffee, manioc and cattle breeding are the best common agricultural activities in Wenceslau Guimarães and Jaguaquara. Begonia convolvulacea A.DC. , B. fruticosa A.DC. , B. glabra Aubl. , B. grisea A.DC. , B. itaguassuensis Brade , B. reniformis Dryand , B. russeliana L.B.Sm. ex S.F.Sm. & Wassh. , B. smilacina A.DC. and B. subacida Irmsch. are also present at this site and approximately 30 new species of different plants family are described from this two adjacent Municipalities, demonstrating the high level of diversity of the region.

In Flora of Bahia ( Gregorio 2016) Begonia charlesjarosiana was named erroneously as Begonia angularis .

Begonia charlesjarosiana is closely related to Begonia angularis Raddi but can be distinguished by its deciduous stipules (vs. persistent), its dichasial cymes at the base and later monochasial cymes (vs. always dichasial), its persistent (vs. deciduous) and ovate (vs. elliptical) bracts with a rounded apex (vs. acute to mucronate), its pistillate flower with 2 prophyles (vs. without prophyles), and its style flabellate (vs. twisted), 2–3 unequal branches (vs. 2 equal branches).

According to the sectional classification of Doorenbos et al. (1998) and Moonlight et al. (2018), Begonia charlesjarosiana belongs to the section Pritzelia , with approximately 130 species from South America. Species in this section share entire placentae and the presence of cystoliths in the leaf cells ( Doorenbos et al. 1998).