木里秋海棠 mu li qiu hai tang

Herbs, deciduous, 20-30 cm tall. Tubers 1-2 cm in diam. Leaves 1(or 2); stipules caducous, triangular-ovate, ca. 5 mm, membranous; petiole 14-21 cm, pilose; blade broadly cordate-ovate, asymmetric, 9-14 × 11-17 cm, abaxially sparsely hispidulous, adaxially sparsely hirsute, venation palmate, 7-veined, base cordate, slightly asymmetric, margin irregularly serrate, shallowly divided to ca. 1/3 of leaf length; lobes 5-7, apex acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, racemose at base, 16-30 cm tall, pilose; bracts ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, glabrous, apex acute. Staminate flowers: pedicel 8-12 mm; tepals 4, pinkish, outer 2 broadly ovate, ca. 10 × 9 mm, abaxially pilose, inner 2 oblanceolate, 9-11 × 3-4 mm; stamens numerous; filaments ca. 1.2 mm, fused at base; anthers broadly oblong, ca. 1.2 × 1 mm, apex emarginate. Pistillate flowers: pedicel 2-2.5 cm; tepals 3, outer 2 ovate, ca. 8 × 6 mm, abaxially pilose or subglabrous, inner 1 elliptic, ca. 6 × 3 mm; ovary glabrous, veins distinct, 3-loculed; placentae axile, bilamellate; styles 3, fused at base; stigmas 2-cleft, U-shaped. Capsule pendulous, obovoid-oblong to oblong, 8-10 × 5-6 mm, unequally 3-winged; abaxial wing triangular, ca. 1.5 × 1 cm; lateral wings smaller. Fl. Aug, fr. Sep. 2n = 24*.

● Forests, rocks in moist environments; 1800-2600 m. SW Sichuan, Yunnan (Zhongdian).

This species is scarcely distinguishable from Begonia taliensis; it differs merely by the relatively shallowly lobed leaves.