台北秋海棠 tai bei qiu hai tang

Herbs. Rhizomes ca. 1.2 cm in diam. Stems erect, 6-45 cm, glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline; stipules caducous, broadly ovate or triangular, 8(-17) × 8(-15) mm, glabrous, margin entire, apex apiculate; petiole to 26(-35) cm, glabrous or sparsely pilose; blade asymmetric, lanceolate-ovate to ovate, 6-14(-25) × 2.5-6.7(-11.5) cm, herbaceous, sparsely scaberulous, venation palmate-pinnate, base obliquely cordate, margin irregularly denticulate or serrulate, very shallowly lobed; apex acuminate to apiculate. Inflorescences to 5 cm, glabrous; peduncle ca. 3 cm; bracts caducous, lanceolate to ovate, to 8(-17) × 3(-12) mm, glabrous, margin ciliate, apex mucronate. Staminate flowers: tepals 4, white or pinkish, glabrous, outer 2 broadly ovate, 4-9 × 4-10 mm, inner 2 broadly elliptic, 4-8 × 3-6 mm; stamens 71-96; filaments free; anthers obovoid, 0.8-1.2 × 0.4-0.5 mm. Pistillate flowers: tepals 5 or 6, white or pinkish, glabrous, obovate to broadly obovate, unequal, 12-18 × 6-15 mm; ovary glabrous, 2-loculed; placentae axile, bilamellate; styles 2 or 3, free; stigmas 2-cleft, spiraled. Capsule nodding or pendulous, unequally 3-winged; abaxial wing triangular, 5-7 × 5-7 mm; lateral wings 1.8-3 mm. 2n = 41*.

● Forests; 200-500 m. N Taiwan (Taibei).

This taxon is a natural hybrid between Begonia formosana and B. longifolia.