Begonia hitchcockii Irmsch.

Moonlight, Peter. W., Jara-Muñoz, Orlando A., Purvis, David A., Delves, Jay, Allen, Josh P. & Reynel, Carlos, 2023, The genus Begonia (Begoniaceae) in Peru, European Journal of Taxonomy 881, pp. 1-334 : 183-186

42. Begonia hitchcockii Irmsch.

Figs 57B , 58

Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 74: 620 ( Irmscher 1949).

– Type: ECUADOR • Valley of Pastaza River , between Baños and Cashurco, 8 hours east of Baños; [1°24′ S, 78°21′ W]; 1300–1800 m a.s.l.; 25 Sep. 1923; A.S. Hitchcock 21800½; holotype: US [ US00115337 ].

Smith & Wasshausen (1979: 240, 1986: 20); Quintana & León-Yáñez (2011: 199); Tebbitt & Pérez (in press).

Begonia rubrotincta L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub., Publicaciones del Museo de Historia Natural Javier Prado, Serie B, Botánica 17 (7): 4 ( Smith & Schubert 1964).

– Type: PERU – Amazonas Region: Prov. Bongará • hills west-northwest of Pomacocha ; [5°48′ S, 78°03′ W]; 2300–2800 m a.s.l.; 19 Jun. 1962; J.J. Wurdack 921; holotype: US [ US00115443 ]; isotypes: A [ A00068270 ], USM [ USM000212 ].

Brako & Zarucchi (1993: 195); León & Monsalve (2006: 168); Tebbitt & Pérez (in press).

Begonia wurdackii L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub., Publicaciones del Museo de Historia Natural Javier Prado, Serie B, Botánica 17 (7): 5 ( Smith & Schubert 1964) .

– Type: PERU – Amazonas Regions: Prov. Bongará • Mossos , 1–5 km S-SE de Yambrasbamba; [5°45′ S, 77°53′ W]; 2100–2400 m a.s.l.; 25 Jun. 1962; J.J. Wurdack 1028; holotype: US [ US00115499 ]; isotypes: A [ A00068300 ], US [ US00115500 ], USM [ USM000213 ].

León & Monsalve (2006: 170); Tebbitt & Pérez (in press).

Begonia pululahuana auct. non C.DC.: Brako & Zarucchi (1993: 194).

Etymology

The type specimen was collected by Albert Spear Hitchcock and the species is named in his honour.

Selected specimens examined

PERU – Amazonas Region: Prov. Utucubamba • “Nuevo Mundo” trail from Huarango (Cajamarca) to Pisaguas (Amazonas) , ca 1hr from crest at divide; 5°15′43″ S, 78°39′05″ W; 1891 m a.s.l.; 28 Jan. 2019; P.W. Moonlight & A. Daza 123; E [ E00885546 ], MOL . – Prov. Bagua • Cordillera Colán SE of La Peca; [5°34′ S, 78°24′ W]; 1800 m a.s.l.; 17 Oct. 1978; P.J. Barbour 4119; MO [ MO-1642884 ], USM [2] • Dist. Yambrasbamba, margen del río Nieva , km 381 del Carretera Marginal ; 5°41′ S, 77°47′ W; [2070 m a.s.l.]; 11 Jul. 1999; I. Sánchez V., G. Iberico & R. Diéguez 10032; CPUN, F [ V0086777F ], US [ US00673160 ] • Dist. Cuispes, trail from Cuispes to Catarata Yumbilla , ca 2500 m on to the trail; 5°55′27″ S, 77°54′30″ W; 2223 m a.s.l.; 5 Jul. 2018; P.W. Moonlight 1272; USM. – Prov. Chachapoyas • past the viewpoint on the trail from Gocta Village to Gocta Falls ; 6°01′51″ S, 77°53′36″ W; 2187 m a.s.l.; 2 Jul. 2018; P.W. Moonlight 1248; USM. – Prov. Rodríguez de Mendoza • Dist. Vista Alegre, Alrededores de Construcciones Chachapoyas , Fundo de Salamón Heredia ; 6°15′20.2″ S, 77°16′48″ W; 1871 m a.s.l.; 27 May 2008; V. Quispuscoa S., L. Cáceres M., I. Treviño Z. & R. Ocampo Z. 4005; HUT. – Piura Region: Prov. Huancabamba • Dist. Carmen de la Frontera, Quebrada Rosarios ; 4°59′20″ S, 79°22′24″ W; 2170 m a.s.l.; 22 May 2003; S. Baldeón M. & F. Neyra J. 5395; USM. – Cajamarca Region: Prov. San Ignacio • road from Sondor to west ; 5°19′27″ S, 79°21′31″ W; 2676 m a.s.l.; 27 Jan. 2016; P.W. Moonlight & A. Daza 121; E [ E00885600 ], MO [ MO-3254809 ], MOL. – Prov. Cutervo • San Andrés de Cutervo , carretera entre San Andrés de Cutervo y Santo Tomás, km 15 a 20; [6°11′ S, 78°44′ W]; C. Díaz & H. Beltrán 3348; MO [ MO-098015 ] • Parque Nacional de Cutervo , NW corner of Cordillera Tarros, Chorro Blanco sector, ca 10 km W of San Andrés de Cutervo; 6°12′ S, 78°46′ W; ca 2600 m a.s.l.; 5 Nov. 1990; M.O. Dillon, I. Sánchez V. & J. Guevara B. 6191; CPUN • Road from Santo Domingo de la Capilla to San Pedro ; 6°16′12″ S, 78°51′01″ W; 2278 m a.s.l.; 18 Oct. 1998; R. Castro et al. 19638; MO [ MO-2001146 ]. – Prov. Jaén • “Sallique”, quebrada grande , route entre La Cocha y Tablón; [5°44′ S, 79°15′ W]; 2770–2900 m a.s.l.; 30 Jun. 1998; C. Díaz, J. Campos, T. Guevara & E. Tineo 9783; HUT, MO [ MO-1835219 ], MOL, US [ US00729614 ] . – Prov. Santa Cruz • ca 3.5 km NE of Monteseco; [6°50′ S, 79°06′ W], 2300 m a.s.l.; 20 May 1987; J. Santisteban & J. Guevara B. 80; F. – San Martín Region: Prov. Rioja • road below pass from Amazonas to San Martín ; 5°40′03″ S, 77°44′56″ W; 1739 m a.s.l.; 31 Jan. 2016; P.W. Moonlight & A. Daza 151; E [ E00885545 ], MOL • Pedro Ruíz-Moyobamba road, km 390 ; 5°50′ S, 77°45′ W; 1800 m a.s.l.; 27 Jul. 1983; D.N. Smith 4428; F, MO [ MO-1641360 ], US [ US00672825 ]. – Huánuco Region: Prov. Tingo María • plantación Margarita cerca a Divisoria ; [9°10′ S, 75°47′ W]; 1500–1600 m a.s.l.; 14 Aug. 1946; R. Ferreyra 1052; USM.

Description

Caulescent, lianescent herb, to 10 m high. Stem repent, branching, rooting at the nodes; internodes to 5 cm long, to 5 mm thick, succulent, appearing woody at the base, green to red or brown, glabrous. Stipules persistent, triangular to ovate, 2–7 × 1.5–5 mm, apex acute, opaque, red to brown, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate. Leaves> 10 per stem, alternate, peltate; petiole 1–19 cm long, pale red, glabrous; blade subsymmetric, ovate, to 12 × 7 cm, membranaceous to succulent, apex acuminate, base rounded, margin irregularly serrate, aciliate to ciliate, upper surface green to purple, sometimes with white dots throughout or a red spot at the petiole insertion, glabrous to sparsely pilose, lower surface green, glabrous, veins peltate but with one primary vein, 6–8 veined from the base, with 2–4 secondary on each side. Inflorescences many, unisexual, rarely bisexual, axillary, erect, cymose, staminate inflorescence branching up to 4 times, bearing up to 32 flowers, peduncle to 7 cm long; pistillate inflorescence branching up to 4 times, bearing up to 16 flowers, peduncle to 2 cm long, pale green, glabrous, bracts persistent, elliptic to ovate, 3–8 × 2–5 mm, opaque, pale green to brown, glabrous, apex acute, margin entire, aciliate. Staminate flowers: pedicels to 22 mm long, puberulent; tepals 4, spreading, outer 2 ovate, 7–20 × 5–23 mm, apex obtuse, white to red, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate, inner 2 ovate, 6–24 × 3–9 mm, apex obtuse, pink to red, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; stamens 25–75, spreading, yellow, filaments 2–3 mm long, fused into a column, anthers obovoid, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 mm long, dehiscing via lateral slits, connectives not extending or extending to 0.2 mm, symmetrically basifixed. Pistillate flowers: pedicels to 3 cm long; bracteoles 2–4, positioned at the base of the ovary, elliptic to orbicular, 4–6 × 4–5 mm, apex obtuse, translucent, pale green, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; tepals 6–7, subequal, persistent in fruit, spreading, ovate, 4–6.5 × 2–5 mm, apex obtuse, white to red, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; ovary body ellipsoid, 5 × 2–3 mm, white to green, glabrous, unequally 4-winged, largest wing triangular, 3–9 × 5–7 mm, smallest rib-like, ca 0.5 mm wide; 4-locular, placentae branches entire to divided, bearing ovules on both surfaces; styles 4, pale yellow, fused at the base, ca 0.5 mm long reniform, stigmatic papillae in a spirally-twisted band. Fruiting pedicel to 30 mm long. Fruit body ovoid to globose, to 7 × 7 mm, drying brown, wings same shape as in ovary, not expanding.

Proposed conservation assessment

Previously assessed as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii)) by Quintana & León-Yáñez (2011). The new circumscription provided by Tebbitt & Pérez (in press) is widespread and locally common in the Ecuadorian and northern Peruvian Andes and has an EOO of> 18 000 km 2, encompassing several protected areas. We assess B. hitchcockii as Least Concern (LC), which replaces the previous assessments of B. rubrotincta as Data Deficient by León & Monsalve (2006).

Identification notes

The two Peruvian members of B. sect. Gobenia , B. hitchcockii and B. aeranthos , are easily recognised as the only lianescent species in Peru with peltate leaves. Begonia hitchcockii can be easily distinguished from B. aeranthos by the position of its petiole insertion, which is> ¼ along the length of the leaf in B. hitchcockii and <⅕ along the length of leaf in B. aeranthos .

Distribution and ecology

Known from Ecuador and Peru and within Peru is known from Amazonas, Piura, Cajamarca, San Martín, and Huánuco Regions ( Fig. 57B ). Found within lower, middle, upper and northwest Peruvian relict montane forest at an elevation of 1500–2900 m a.s.l. in common with other members of B. sect. Gobenia , B. hitchcockii grows as a slender, scrambling herb until reaching a suitable tree trunk or rock to climb. The mature form is lianescent and reaches at least 10 m in length with stems that appear woody. The species is locally common but rarely seen in flower or fruit as it only flowers in the canopy of montane forests or at forest edges.

Figures

Fig. 57.Distribution of Begonia sect.Gobenia A.DC. in Peru and surrounding countries.A. B. aeranthos L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub. (red). B. B. hitchcockii Irmsch. (red). Black lines indicate country borders, grey lines indicate major administrative divisions, blue lines indicate rivers, and shading indicates elevation.

Fig. 58. Begonia hitchcockii Irmsch. A. Habitat. B. Habit. C. Staminate flower, front view. D. Staminate flower, front view. All photographs taken by P.W. Moonlight from P.W. Moonlight & A. Daza 123 (A, B) and P.W. Moonlight 1272 (C, D) in Utcubamba and Bagua Provinces, respectively, Amazonas Region.