B. sykakiengii

Culture

Comments

Provisional IUCN category: Following the Red List criteria of the IUCN (2012), we consider Begonia sykakiengii to belong to the Endangered category under criteria B2ab(iii) [(a) severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than five locations; (biii) continuing observed decline in quality of habitat). This species is a micro-endemic, restricted to a single cave which is not in a formally protected area. The site is surrounded by rice fields and habitation, and graffiti at the cave entrance indicates the site is already disturbed.

Endangered Status

Endangered B2ab(iii)

Original Botanical Description or Link to

Monoecious rhizomatous herb. Rhizome creeping, to 15 cm or longer, 5–12 mm thick, internodes 2–8 mm long. Stipules persistent, pale yellowish-green, triangular, 7–16 mm long, 6.5–12 mm wide, herbaceous, strongly keeled, velutinous on midrib, margin entire, apex aristate, arista 2–3 mm long. Leaves alternate, petiole terete, reddish to crimson, (3.5–) 8–24.5 cm long, 2.5–6 mm thick, densely appressed velutinous; leaf blade asymmetric, oblique, ovate to widely ovate, 8.5–18 cm long, 5–12 cm wide, broad side 3.4–9 cm wide, basal lobes cordate, 2.2–7 cm long, ape attenuate to caudate, margin undulate-denticulate or subentire (sometimes with one angular lobe), appressed velutinous; leaves thickly chartaceous to succulent, adaxially green, dark olive green to maroon or nearly blackish, variegated with irregular spots of chartreuse, silver grey to whitish, usually forming an wide band running parallel to the margin, sometimes lamina uniformly dusky green to maroon; surface glabrous; abaxially purplish red, with patches of pale green corresponding to the pattern on adaxial surface, all veins of which sparsely appressed velutinous; venation palmate with ca. 8 veins, midrib distinct, with ca. 2 secondary veins on each side, other primary veins branching dichotomously or nearly so, tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescences an axillary, bisexual and protandrous, dichasial cyme 15–35 cm long, peduncle 9–32 cm long, dichasial cymes arising directly from rhizome, branched ca. 7 times, erect or ascending, reddish, glabrous. Bracts pale yellowish-green, hyaline, deciduous, those at basal node of inflorescence ovate, 7–11 mm long, 4–7 mm wide, apex acute, sparsely shortly glandular hairy outside, margin entire with shortly glandular hairy; bracts at the distal part of inflorescence similar but smaller. Staminate flower: pedicel 1.3–2.2 cm long, shortly glandular hairy, tepals 4, white to pinkish, sparsely shortly glandular hairy on outside, outer 2 widely ovate or obovate to suborbicular, 0.6–1.2 cm long, ca. 1 cm wide, inner 2 obovate, 0.6–1 cm long, 0.5–0.7 cm wide, apex truncate to rounded; androecium actinomorphic, ca. 0.35 cm across; stamens yellow, 53–70; filaments shortly fused at base; anthers obovate, ca. 0.7 mm long, apex rounded, subequal to filaments. Pistillate flower: pedicel 0.6–1.1 cm long, glabrous or sometimes with sparsely shortly glandular hairy; ovary pale yellowish green to reddish, body trigonous-ellipsoid, 5–6 mm long, 2.5–4 mm thick (wings excluded), glabrous, 3-winged, subequal, subtriangular or crescent-shaped, cuneate distally, rounded proximally, apex rounded or obtuse, wings 6–7.5 mm long, 6–10 mm wide, margin entire; ovary 3-locular, placenta bilamellate; tepals 4, white to pinkish, glabrous, outer 2 suborbicular to widelPhilippines. Panay Islandy obovate, 0.7–1.2 cm long, 0.9–1.2 cm wide, inner 2 oblanceolate to widely obovate, 0.9–1 cm long, 0.3–7 cm wide, apex rounded to truncate; styles 3, shortly fused at base, yellow, ca. 0.3 cm long, stigma spirally twisted. Capsule pendent, pedicel ca. 1 cm long, tepals deciduous; body trigonous-ellipsoid, ca. 6 mm long, 4 mm across (wings excluded), greenish or reddish when fresh; wings subequal, wings ca. 10 mm long, 5 mm wide. Somatic chromosome number, 2n = 28.