Three new species of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from Bahia, Brazil.

Bernarda De Souza Gregório,Jorge Antonio Silva Costa,Alessandro Rapini

doi:10.3897/phytokeys.44.7993

Abstract

The taxonomic treatment of Begoniaceae for the state of Bahia, Brazil, led to the recognition of three new species of Begonia with narrow distributions, which are described and illustrated here: Begonia delicata Gregório & J.A.S. Costa, sp. nov. is a herb restricted to the region of the Recôncavo; Begonia elianeae Gregório & J.A.S. Costa, sp. nov. is a shrub endemic to the Atlantic forest of the southern part of the state; and Begonia paganuccii Gregório & J.A.S. Costa, sp. nov. is a subshrub known only from the type material, collected in the Piedmont of Paraguaçu. Notes on morphology, comparisons with morphologically similar species, etymology, geographic distribution, habitat and phenological data for each species are also presented. Furthermore, keys are provided as an aid to separating the new species from congeneric species that occur in their surroundings. Due to the sparse knowledge of the new species, there is as yet insufficient data to accurately assess their conservation status.

Highlights

Begonia L. is one of the largest genera of Angiosperms (~1,500 species), known worldwide as ornamentals, with numerous hybrids and cultivars popular in the horticultural market (Neale et al 2006)
In the course of preparing the taxonomic treatment of Begonia for the state of Bahia, Brazil (Gregório 2014), in addition to field work in different habitats, specimens from 24 Brazilian herbaria—ALCB, BAH, BHCB, BRBA, CEN, CEPEC, HB, HEPH, HRB, HST (Herbário Sérgio Tavares), HUEFS, IBGE, IPA, MBM, MBML, PEUFR, R, RB, RBR, SP, SPF, UB, UFP and UPCB—and photos of specimens from seven herbaria from other countries (B, G, K, M, NY, P and US) were examined
Jacques, which occurs in the state of Pernambuco (Gregório et al 2014), three undescribed species of Begonia were discovered during the inventory

Summary

Introduction

Begonia L. is one of the largest genera of Angiosperms (~1,500 species), known worldwide as ornamentals, with numerous hybrids and cultivars popular in the horticultural market (Neale et al 2006). DC., differing by the presence of a ring of trichomes at the apex of the petiole, stipules and first order bracts with entire margin (vs laciniate) and staminate flowers with 2 (vs 4) tepals.

Results

Conclusion