The genus Begonia (Begoniaceae) in Peru Author Moonlight, Peter. W. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20 A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH 3 5 LR, Scotland, UK. & Botany Department, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. moonligp@tcd.ie Author Jara-Muñoz, Orlando A. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D. C., Colombia. oajaram@unal.edu.co Author Purvis, David A. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20 A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH 3 5 LR, Scotland, UK. dpurvis@rbge.org.uk Author Delves, Jay Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20 A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH 3 5 LR, Scotland, UK. j.delves@westernsydney.edu.au Author Allen, Josh P. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20 A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH 3 5 LR, Scotland, UK. myrmeciaman@gmail.com Author Reynel, Carlos Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria-La Molina, Lima 12, Peru. reynel@lamolina.edu.pe text European Journal of Taxonomy 2023 2023-07-18 881 1 334 http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2023.881.2175 journal article https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2023.881.2175 2118-9773 8178280 19. Begonia alto-peruviana A.DC. Fig. 35A Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 11: 123 ( de Candolle 1859 ). Type : BOLIVIA Prov. Larecaja Vallées entre Tipuani et Apolobamba ; May 1847 ; M.H. Weddell 4556 ; lectotype : P [ P05586898 , photo K], first stage designated by Smith & Schubert (1941a: 185) ; second stage designated by Smith & Schubert (1944: 81) . de Candolle (1864: 289) ; Smith & Schubert (1941a: 185 , 1944: 81 ); Wasshausen et al. (2014: 383). Etymology The type specimen of this species was collected in La Paz Department in modern day Bolivia . Much of Bolivia was previously governed by Spain as Alto Peru and the species epithet is in reference to this, despite the fact Bolivia was declared independent before the type was collected and long before the protologue was published. Specimens examined PERU Cusco Region : Prov. Quispicanchis Marcapata-Quincemil road , between Puente Capiri and Mandor ; 13°24′ S , 70°33′ W ; 1152 m a.s.l. ; 8 Jan. 2015 ; M.C. Tebbitt & A. Daza 808 ; E [ E01059294 ], MOL . – Puno Region : Prov. Carabaya Alrededores de San Gabán ; 13°38′32.94″ S , 70°28′12.9″ W ; 1610–1700 m a.s.l. ; 9 Jan. 2016 ; H. Trinidad HT-4101 ; USM Ollachea-San Gabán road, Camatane ; [ 13°38′ S , 70°27′ W ]; 25 Aug. 1980 ; J.D. Boeke & S. Boeke 3206 ; NY Ollachea abajo ; [ 13°37′ S , 70°27′ W ]; 1200–1400 m a.s.l. ; Jul. 1966 ; J.C. Vargas Calderón 17597 ; MO [ MO-1835899 ] . – Prov. Sandia bajando a Valle Grande ; [ 14°18′ S , 69°27′ W ]; 2200 m a.s.l. ; 7Aug. 1957 ; J.C. Vargas Calderón 11845 ; CUZ . Description Caulescent herb, to 1 m high. Stem erect, branching; internodes to 5.5 cm long, to 5 mm thick, succulent, brown, glabrous. Stipules deciduous, elliptic, ca 35 × 10 mm , apex obtuse, translucent, pale green, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate. Leaves > 5, alternate, basifixed; petiole 2.5–5.5 cm long, green, glabrous to sparsely pilose; blade asymmetric, ovate, to 19 × 10 cm , succulent, apex short-acuminate, base cordate, basal lobes not overlapping, sinus to 25 mm deep, margin serrulate, ciliate, upper surface dark green, glabrous, lower surface pale green to red, glabrous, veins palmate-pinnate, 7–8 veined from the base, with 3–4 secondary veins on the larger side, 1–3 secondary veins on the larger side. Inflorescences 1–3, bisexual, axillary, erect, cymose, with 16 branches, bearing up to 32 staminate flowers and 16 pistillate flowers, protandrous; peduncle to 7.5 cm long, colour unknown, glabrous, bracts deciduous, ovate, ca 1 × 0.5 mm , translucent, colour unknown, glabrous, apex obtuse, margin entire, aciliate. Male flowers : pedicels to 8 mm long, glabrous; tepals 2, spreading, broadly ovate, 6–7 × 6–8 mm , apex obtuse, white flushed pink, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; stamens ca 15, spreading, yellow, filaments ca 2 mm long, free, anthers ellipsoid, ca 1.5 × 0.5 mm long, dehiscing via lateral slits, connectives extended to 0.2 mm , symmetrically basifixed. Female flowers : pedicels to 30 mm long; bracteoles 3, positioned directly beneath the ovary, broadly-ovate, 5–6 × 6–7 mm , apex rounded, translucent, pink, glabrous, margin serrate, ciliate; tepals 5, subequal, persistent in fruit, spreading, lanceolate, 12–15 × 4–6 mm , apex obtuse, white, glabrous, margin entire, aciliate; ovary body ovoid, 8–10 × 6–8 mm , white flushed pink on the outside, glabrous, unequally 3-winged, wings triangular, largest 8–11 × 10–13 mm , smallest 10–11 × 4–5 mm ; 3-locular, placentae branches divided, bearing ovules on both surfaces; styles 3, yellow, free, 4–6 mm long, once-divided, stigmatic papillae in a spirally twisted band. Fruiting pedicel to 35 mm long. Fruit body ovoid, to 10 × 8 mm , drying pale brown, wings same shape as in ovary, the largest expanding to 15 × 15 mm , the smallest expanding to 14 × 6 mm . Proposed conservation assessment Broadly distributed with a range encompassing Cuzco and Puno Regions of Peru and much of northern and central Andean Bolivia . It seems common within its Bolivian range and was extremely common in September 2020 in the valley of the río Sandia, including in disturbed areas, despite being known from only a single collection in this area. We assess B. alto-peruviana as Least Concern (LC). Fig. 35. Distribution of the stenotepala group of Begonia sect. Cyathocnemis (Klotzsch) A.DC. in Peru and surrounding countries. A . B. alto-peruviana A.DC. (red). B . B. brevicordata L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub. (red), B. deltoides Moonlight sp. nov. (blue), and B. lucifuga Irmsch (green). C . B. longitepala Moonlight sp. nov. (red) and B. subspinulosa Irmsch. (blue). D . B. stenotepala L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub. (red). Black lines indicate country borders, grey lines indicate major administrative divisions, blue lines indicate rivers, and shading indicates elevation. Typification notes The protologue of B. alto-peruviana cited material collected by Weddell “in Peruvia Alta sive Bolivia ” but cited no specific collection ( de Candolle 1859: 123 ). The first stage of lectotypification was carried out by Smith & Schubert (1941a: 185) , who cited the collection M.H. Weddell 4556 . The same authors later cited a duplicate of this collection in Paris herbarium as the type , which constitutes the second stage of lectotypification ( Smith & Schubert 1944 ). Notes This represents the first confirmed record of B. alto-peruviana from Peru . De Candolle (1859) was unsure of whether the type collection was made in Peru or Bolivia , but it was collected in Bolivia . Smith & Schubert (1941a) stated that the species “undoubtedly occurs in Peru ” but cited no specimens. Begonia alto-peruviana was later included in the checklist of plants of Peru ( Brako & Zarucchi 1993 ) but based only upon Smith & Schubert’s flora account ( Smith & Schubert 1941a ). Identification notes Begonia alto-peruviana is one of three species in the stenotepala group with white to pink tepals with obtuse to rounded apices, sharing these characters with B. brevicordata and B. subspinulosa . It is best distinguished from these species by vegetative characteristics. Begonia brevicordata is a much less robust species and while it does reach 1 m in height it has much more delicate stems (reaching 3 mm wide) compared to B. alto-peruviana , whose mature stems are always at least 5 mm wide. The leaves of B. brevicordata are much smaller (reaching 6.5 × 4.5 cm ) than those of B. alto-peruviana (which reach 19 × 10 cm ) and are much more rounded in outline (the leaves of B. alto-peruviana are around twice as long as wide whereas those of B. brevicordata are usually wider than they are long). It differs from B. subspinulosa in its early deciduous stipules, which are rarely seen on specimens in contrast to the conspicuous, persistent stipules of B. subspinulosa . While both species have serrulate (to serrate) leaf margins, the margins of B. subspinulosa have a distinctive, sharp appearance lacking in B. alto-peruviana . Finally, B. subspinulosa can have three or five tepals while B. alto-peruviana always has five. Distribution and ecology Known from Peru and Bolivia and within Peru collected in Cuzco and Puno Regions ( Fig. 35A ). Found in lower and middle montane forest at an elevation of 1152–1700 m a.s.l.