橙花秋海棠 cheng hua qiu hai tang

Herbs, acaulescent. Rhizomes elongate, to 2 cm in diam. Stipules caducous, triangular, to 1.5 × 1 cm, glabrous or pilose on midvein, margin entire, apex cuspidate; petiole green, 34-41 × 0.9-1 cm, densely pilose; blade broadly ovate, asymmetric, to 30.5 × 24 cm, abaxially sparsely pilose, adaxially glabrous, venation palmately 9- or 10-veined, base oblique, deeply cordate, margin remotely minutely serrulate, apex acute. Inflorescences 16-34 cm; peduncle 12.5-25 cm × 4-5.8 mm, glabrous; bracts ovate, to 2.1 × 1.2 cm, glabrous, margin entire, apex acute. Flower buds subglobose. Staminate flowers: pedicel 1.2-1.8(-3.1) cm; tepals 4, orange-red, glabrous, outer 2 ovate, 1.1-1.8 × 1.1-1.4 cm, inner 2 elliptic or narrowly obovate, 1.1-1.8 × 0.9-1.1 cm; stamens ca. 100 or more; filaments 2.5-3.5 mm, fused to halfway; anthers fusiform to obovoid, 1.5-4.5 mm, apex acuminate. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 1.3-1.5 cm; tepals 5, orange-red, glabrous, subequal, obovate, 1-1.2 × 0.8-1 cm; ovary ellipsoid, glabrous, 2-loculed; placentae axile, bilamellate; styles 2, 5-5.6 mm, free; stigmas 2-cleft, spiraled. Capsule nodding, unequally 3-winged; abaxial wing narrowly oblong, 1.7-1.8 cm × 8-8.5 mm, apex obtuse; lateral wings smaller, 6.5-7 mm.

● Forests; ca. 1200 m. S Yunnan (Jiangcheng).

This species is similar to Begonia megalophyllaria but can be distinguished by the hairy habit and orange-red tepals.