刘演秋海棠 liu yan qiu hai tang

Begonia gigaphylla Y. M. Shui & W. H. Chen.

Herbs, rhizomatous. Rhizomes creeping, stout, 1-2.5 cm in diam. Leaves all basal; stipules caducous, narrowly triangular, herbaceous; petiole 13-22 cm, villous or lanuginose; blade abaxially pale, adaxially green or dark green, obliquely broadly ovate or suborbicular, 23-50 × 16-40 cm, subleathery, adaxially ± nitid, sparsely setose, basally 6- or 7-veined, tertiary veins percurrent and reticulate, base deeply cordate, margin shortly ciliate, apex shortly acuminate. Inflorescences diffusely thyrsoid; flowers 13-100 in a thyrsoid cyme; peduncle 20-41 cm; bracts caducous, ovate or oblong, 1-3 × 1-2.5 mm. Staminate flowers: pedicel 0.7-1.2 cm; tepals 4, outer 2 tepals greenish yellow or sometimes reddish, 7-9 × 8-9 mm, apex rounded or obtuse, rarely acute; inner 2 tepals obovate, oblong, or lanceolate; androecium actinomorphic; stamens 30-40; filaments fused at base; anthers obovoid, apex subtruncate or subemarginate. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 1.5-2.5 cm; tepals 3, yellowish or reddish; ovary ellipsoid, 5-7 × 4-4.5 mm, glandular hispid, unequally 3-winged, 1-loculed with parietal placentation; styles 3, fused at base. Capsule nodding, 8-11 × ca. 5 mm. Fl. Apr-Sep, fr. Jun-Feb. 2n = 30*.

● Broad-leaved forests, shaded, rocky limestone slopes; ca. 200 m. Guangxi (Longzhou).