Begonia salaziensis
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Begonia salaziensis |
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| ( Gaudich. ) Warb. |
Begonia salaziensis is a rare plant species from the slate family(Begoniaceae). It occurs in Mauritius and Réunion .
description
Begonia salaziensis is a shrub that reaches heights of 2.4 meters. The trunk is branched and smooth. In the young individuals the bark is green, in the adult it is silvery brown. The branches are straight or arched. The deciduous stipules are lanceolate to ovate, 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters long and 0.5 to 1 centimeter wide. The green, hairless leaf stalks are 2.5 to 11 inches long. The bright green, hairless leaves are asymmetrical, egg-shaped, 7 to 16 inches long and 3.5 to 10.5 inches wide. The vertex of the stem axis is gradually pointed. The leaf base is heart-shaped, the leaf margin is entire and the leaf veins show a hand-shaped pattern.
They are single sexed ( monoecious ). The axillary, zymous inflorescence carries up to 15 flowers. The deciduous, egg-shaped bracts are 10 to 15 millimeters long and 6 to 10 millimeters wide. Both the male and female flowers have four white bracts . In the male flowers, the outer pair of bracts is almost round, the inner egg-shaped to elliptical. In the male flowers there are 15 to 18 stamens that are symmetrically arranged. The stamens unite at the base. There are no prophylls in the female flowers. Both bracts are broadly ovate to almost round. The ovary below is yellowish green. The three styles are uniquely branched. The scars consist of a spiral band.
The berry-shaped to ellipsoidal capsule fruits are bright orange. They are wingless, have three chambers, are 5 to 10 mm long and 2.5 to 6 mm wide. The seed carriers are wall-mounted and in two parts.
Occurrence and habitat
The type specimen of Begonia salaziensis was collected on Réunion in 1837. There are currently an unknown number of individuals in a few forest remnants. In Mauritius, the species was originally widespread at the Trou Kanaka volcano , where it is believed to have died out today. One example is known from the Bel Ombre region. Begonia salaziensis occurs in montane tropical rainforests between waterfalls. The shrub grows on humus soils, on damp rocks or in crevices.
status
Begonia salaziensis has been largely displaced from their habitats by invasive plant species . The exact number in the wild is unknown, the IUCN assumes a population of less than 50 specimens and classifies the species as "critically endangered". In 1986, botanist Wendy Strahm initiated an ex-situ conservation program for Begonia salaziensis . Seeds were sent to Wageningen University and plants grown from them flowered after 16 months. Since 1987, Wageningen has been distributing seeds to North American and European collections. Examples of this species can be found in the Flora Botanical Garden in Cologne.
literature
- J. Bosser, Th. Cadet, HR Julien and W. Marais: Flore des Mascareignes, 90 Rhizophoracee to 106 Araliacees . The Sugar Industry Research Institute, Mauritius, ORSTOM, Paris and RBG, Kew, 1990.
- Mark C. Tebbitt: Begonias: Cultivation, Identification, and Natural History . Timber Press, 2005. ISBN 0-88192-733-3
- N. Klazenga, JJFE de Wilde & RJ Quene: Begonia sect. Mezierea (Gaud.) Warb., A Taxonomic Revision . Bulletin du Jardin botanique national de Belgique / Bulletin van de National Plantentuin van België, issue 63, no. 3/4 (November 1994), pp. 263-312
Web links
- Entry at Grin
- Herbitary specimen in the Natural History Museum Vienna, Botanical Department, Vienna, Austria
- Begonia salaziensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2007. Posted by: R. Rutty, 2000. Retrieved on June 29 of 2008.