Species
B. guttapila
Photos
1 photo
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. guttapila
- Author
- D.C.Thomas & Ardi, Edinburgh J. Bot.
- Publication Date
- 2009
- Date of Origin
- 2008
- Place
- Sulawesi Selatan, Luwu District, Latimojong Mountains, Ranteballa village, 1359m
- Habitat
- This species grows in upland primary rain forest at c.1350 m
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- Asia
- Section
- Petermannia
- Plant Type
- Shrub-like
- Synonyms and Comments
- Etymology: Latin gutta (droplet) and pila (hair) after the unusual hairs on the fruits
- Reference
- Edinburgh J. Bot. 66(2): 234. 2009 ‘Two New Species of Begonia (Begoniaceae) From South Sulawesi, Indonesia’ – Authors: D. C. Thomas, W. H. Ardi, Hartutiningsih & M. Hughes.
- Article References
- Hughes M. et al., Asian Begonia 130, 2018
- Photo References
- Edinburgh J. Bot. 66(2): 234 (-237; fig. 2, map). 2009; Hughes M. et al., Asian Begonia 130, 2018
Plant
- Description
- Likely to be dioecious; Perennial, monoecious herb, stems first erect, but soon arching over and trailing scrambling, to c.60 cm tall, with a sparse indumentum of microscopic, glandular hairs on all above-ground vegetative parts and a very sparse indumentum of multicellular hairs on the stems and the abaxial lamina surface or multicellular hairs absent. ; The epithet ‘guttapila’ is a compound of gutta (Latin – a drop of fluid) and pilus (Latin – hair). It refers to the very unusual hairs on the ovaries and fruits of this species, which, with their bulbous base narrowing into a fine extended tip (Figs 2E–F), resemble stylized drops of water. The fruits of this species are unusual in Begonia sect. Petermannia not only because of their indumentum, but also because of their fleshy pericarp. In contrast to the dry, thin-walled capsules predominantly found in this section, Begonia guttapila exhibits red, fleshy and apparently indehiscent fruits, which have thickened, relatively hard wings. These characters might be adaptations to zoochory, but as for the other fleshy-fruited species of Begonia in SE Asia, observations of animal dispersal are lacking (Lange & Bouman, 1999; Tebbitt et al., 2006), and the dispersal of the seeds of this species might be mainly by rain-wash from the decomposing fruit. The male inflorescence morphology predominantly found in Begonia sect. Petermannia is characterized by dichasial branching, few or no distal monochasial branchings, and clearly developed axes (Irmscher, 1914; Doorenbos et al., 1998). However, Irmscher (1914) also emphasized that there are several variations of this typical syndrome in the huge section Petermannia. The male inflorescences of Begonia guttapila, which are characterized by strongly compressed axes resulting in an umbel-like appearance, are similar to the subumbellate male partial inflorescences found in the Sulawesian endemic Begonia ozotothrix D.C. Thomas (Thomas et al., 2009). An examination of herbarium material from A, B, BM, BO, CEB, E, K, L and SING shows that a similar syndrome is present in several other undescribed species from Sulawesi. Compressed subumbellate male partial inflorescences have also been described for the Sulawesian endemic Begonia siccacaudata J. Door., which shows male partial inflorescences with one basal dichasial branching and the end flower flanked by two monochasia (Doorenbos, 2000). Compressed cymose partial inflorescences are also present in the ‘Begonia rieckei Warb. complex’, which includes two taxa endemic to Sulawesi, B. koordersii Warb. ex L.B.Sm. & Wassh. And B. strictipetiolaris Irmsch., but also B. rieckei (Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea), B. pseudolateralis Warb. (Philippines), B. brachybotrys Merr. & L.M. Perry (New Guinea and surrounding islands), and B. peekelii Irmsch. (Bismarck Archipelago) (Hughes, 2008). According to Hughes (2008), these taxa may be best considered as one widespread species, as they show only minor morphological differences. Examination of material from Sulawesi and the Philippines showed that in contrast to the cymose-subumbellate male inflorescences of some Sulawesian species, and in contrast to all other species in Begonia sect. Petermannia, the cymose-subumbellate partial inflorescences of species in the Begonia rieckei complex comprise both male and female flowers. Despite this major difference, the subumbellate partial inflorescence architecture in the Begonia rieckei complex seems to indicate a close relationship with the cymose-subumbellate taxa from Sulawesi. It is tempting to speculate that the observed variation in male inflorescence morphology of Sulawesian Begonia sect. Petermannia species may be the result of evolution from many flowered male inflorescences with well-developed axes and predominantly dichasial branching (e.g. B. grandipetala Irmsch., B. macintyreana M. Hughes, B. stevei M. Hughes, B. varipeltata D.C. Thomas) to subumbellate, dichasial–monochasial male inflorescences with strongly compressed axes (e.g. B. guttapila, B. ozotothrix) to compressed, purely monochasial inflorescences including the two-flowered monochasial inflorescences of B. didyma. Other Sulawesian species, such as Begonia chiasmogyna M. Hughes, exhibit male inflorescences with monochasial branching and well-developed axes, which are most likely derived from dichasial–monochasial male inflorescences with well-developed axes. However, phylogenetic analyses of morphological and/or molecular data are necessary to investigate these hypotheses
- Internodal Distance
- Stems branched; internodes c.2–16.5 cm long. Leaves alternate; stipules 4–6 mm, elliptic to oblong, with abaxially prominent midrib that projects shortly at the apex, caducous; petioles 1.5–5.2 cm long; lamina basifixed, 5–13 3 2.5–6 cm, very asymmetric, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, narrowly ovate or ovate, base cordate, lobes not overlapping, apex acuminate, margin double serrate, the teeth not or only slightly bristle-pointed, adaxial surface dark green and abaxial surface pale green, venation palmate-pinnate.
Lineage
Parents
No parentage recorded.
Etymology: Latin gutta (droplet) and pila (hair) after the unusual hairs on the fruits
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
- Comments
- Proposed IUCN conservation category. VU D2. This species is only known from one collection on the eastern border of the Latimojong Forest Reserve. All available Begonia specimens from A, B, BM, BO, CEB, E, K, L and SING have been consulted, and hence it must be assumed, at least until more intensive collecting on Sulawesi may reveal otherwise, that this species has a very restricted range. Therefore, it is ‘prone to the effects of human activities or stochastic events within a very short time period in an uncertain future’ (IUCN, 2001).
- Endangered Status
- IUCN category VUD2