Begonia xuansonensis, a new orange-flowered species of Begoniaceae from northern Vietnam

Begonia xuansonensis, a new species from northern Vietnam, is described and illustrated. The new species is characterized by reddish-orange to orange tepals, which is a rare type of flower coloration in Asian species of the genus. Begonia xuansonensis is most similar to B. lowiana, but differs from the latter by stipules 4–6 × 1.5–2 mm, orange tepals and ovary, and abaxially densely red setose inner tepals of staminate and pistillate flowers. The new species also shows similarity with B. cathayana, differing in stipules 4–6 mm long, uniformly dark green adaxial side of leaf blade, abaxially densely red setose inner tepals of a staminate flower and three styles in a pistillate flower. Begonia xuansonensis is tentatively assigned to B. sect. Platycentrum on the basis of actinomorphic androecium, apically rounded anthers and fruit with three unequal wings. Morphological description and detailed photographs of the new species are provided, accompanied by information on its ecology, provisional conservation status, and a taxonomic comparison with similar species.

Two new species of Begonia (sect. Platycentrum, Begoniaceae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam: B. villosula and B. lophura

Two new species of Begonia L., namely Begonia villosula T.S.Hoang & C.W.Lin and B. lophura T.S.Hoang & C.W.Lin, from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, are described and illustrated. They are assigned to Begonia sect. Platycentrum based on several characters including axillary inflorescence, 4-tepaled staminate flower and 5-tepaled pistillate flower with bilocular ovary, each with two placentae. Begonia villosula resembles B. thomsonii, but it is different in its leaf margins crenate to crenulate (vs. irregularly serrulate), stamens 80–120 (vs. 35–70), pistillate flower 4-tepaled (vs. 5-tepaled) and ovary hirsute (vs. villous). Begonia lophura is somewhat similar to B. pavonina, but it is different in having widely ovate (vs. ovate) and abaxially red hirsute (vs. glabrous) leaves, bracts persistent (vs. caducous), tepals hirsute (vs. glabrous) in both of staminate and pistillate flowers, capsule scabrous (vs. glabrous) and abaxial wing strongly swollen (vs. thin, not swollen). The conservation status of the two new species are assessed as Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

Begonia nangunheensis, a new species of Begoniaceae from Yunnan province, China

Begonia nangunheensis belonging to Begonia sect. Platycentrum is described and illustrated as a new species in Caryota obtusa forests in Yunnan province of China. It is similar to Begonia siamensis in 3-winged fruits, 2-loculed ovary and axile placentation with 2 segments per locule, but differs in its glabrous petiole and abaxial leaf-blade, ovate outer tepals and oblanceolate to narrowly obovate inner tepals of staminate flower, and the unequal pistillate tepals. The new species is assigned to Critically Endangered according to the guidelines of IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (version 13).

A Revised Sectional Classification of Plukenetia L. (Euphorbiaceae, Acalyphoideae) with Four New Species from South America

Abstract—We present a phylogenetic classification for Plukenetia (Euphorbiaceae, Acalyphoideae) based on morphology and molecular phylogenetic studies using nuclear (ETS, ITS, KEA1 introns 11 and 17, TEB exon 17) and plastid (matK, ndhF, psbA-trnH) DNA data. Plukenetia comprises 25 species divided into six sections, with three new sections and four new species described here. The circumscription of Plukenetia is unaltered from recent treatments and we continue to recognize Romanoa as distinct. The sections of Plukenetia correspond with the subclade system proposed by Cardinal-McTeague and Gillespie (2016): P1 = P. sect. Fragariopsis comb. et stat. nov.; P2 = P. sect. Penninerviae sect. nov.; P3 = P. sect. Plukenetia; P4 = P. sect. Angostylidium; and P5 = P. sect. Hedraiostylus + P. sect. Madagascarienses sect. nov. The sections are distinguished by a combination of leaf venation, staminate flower morphology, pistillate flower number, style morphology, fruit type, and seed size. Additionally, we describe three new species from South America belonging to sect. Penninerviae: Plukenetia brevistyla and Plukenetia megastyla from the Amazon basin and Plukenetia chocoensis from the Chocó Biogeographic Region of Colombia. The new Amazonian species are morphologically similar to P. brachybotrya but distinguished by their style shape and size. The new Colombian species is morphologically similar to P. penninervia but distinguished by its elongate basilaminar extrafloral nectaries, presence of abaxial laminar extrafloral nectaries, and longer inflorescences. We also describe a new species from sect. Plukenetia, Plukenetia sylvestris, which is found in central and southern Peru. This species is suggested to be the wild progenitor of the cultivated P. carolis-vegae, differing by its smaller seeds/fruits and fewer stamens. Molecular data, including a new ETS phylogeny sampling P. brevistyla, support our new taxa as distinct. Keys to the sections and species of Plukenetia are provided and we designate 12 new lectotypes for Plukenetia and Romanoa.

Two new species, Begonia dinhdui and B. bacmeensis (Begoniaceae), from Vietnam

Two new species, Begonia dinhdui and B. bacmeensis are described from Vietnam. Begonia dinhdui is somewhat similar to B. austrovietnamica C.-I Peng, C.W. Lin, D.D. Nguyen & N.D. Truong, a limestone tuberous species also occurring in southern Vietnam. Both species have a periodically dormant habit and silvery variegated lamina, however, the new species differs in having a rhizomatous (vs. tuberous) rootstock, cymose (vs. racemose) inflorescence and 4-tepaled (vs. 6-tepaled) pistillate flower. Another new species, Begonia bacmeensis most closely resembles B. psilophylla Irmsch. in its stout rhizomatous rootstock, 4-tepaled staminate flower and 5-tepaled pistillate flower, but differs from the latter by having a strongly asymmetrical (vs. subsymmetric), lanceolate to oval-lanceolate (vs. ovate) lamina, tepals of staminate and pistillate flower pale green (vs. pink), ovary lateral wings surface verrucose or echinate (vs. nearly flat). Begonia dinhdui is currently known only from a single locality in Lâm Đồng Province while B. bacmeensis is rather common in Hà Giang Province.

Begonia depressinerva (sect. Baryandra, Begoniaceae), a new species from Luzon Island, the Philippines

A new peltate species of Begonia sect. Baryandra from Kidadayaig Falls, General Nakar, Quezon is described and illustrated here. The new species, B. depressinerva, is diagnosed against the morphologically similar B. tayabensis. The two species are similar by having rhizomatous stem, peltate, ovate leaf, and 5-tepalled pistillate flower, but the new species is remarkably different by having densely pilose, asymmetric leaf blade, densely pilose petiole that is inserted much closer to the basal margin, obtuse to subobtuse staminate flower outer tepal apex, and glandularly hairy ovary. B. depressinerva is proposed to be Vulnerable (VU) D1, following the guidelines of the IUCN.

Can the anatomy of abnormal flowers elucidate relationships of the androecial members in the ginger (Zingiberaceae)?

Background Interpretation of the floral structure of Zingiberaceae has long concentrated on the relationships of the androecial members. It has been suggested that the labellum is composed of two structures rather than three or five, and the glands are not only the epidermis of the ovary but are similar to nectaries. Results Serial sections were used to observe the vasculature of normal and two-staminate flowers in Alpinia intermedia ‘shengzhen’. Floral diagrams were drawn to interpret the morphological category of the floral organs and the relationships of the androecial members. Androecial vascular bundles were associated with carpellary dorsal bundles (CDBs) and parietal bundles (PBs) in a Zingiberales phylogeny setting using ancestral state reconstruction. Anatomical observations demonstrate that the fertile stamen(s) incorporate parietal strands both in normal and two-staminate flowers. The three appendages represent the three members of the outer whorl of the androecium while the labellum represents the inner whorl of the androecium in the two-staminate flower. Reconstruction of the origin of the vascular system in the androecium suggests that the outer whorl of androecium receives its vascular supply from the CDBs and the inner whorl of androecium receives from the PBs in both the basal banana group and the more derived ginger clade. Conclusions The present study adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that anatomy of abnormal flowers may not provide enough evidence for elucidating the relationships of the androecial members. Abnormal flowers are diverse in the Zingiberaceae and may derive from different types of mutations.

Adana Ekolojik Koşullarında Yetiştirilen Bazı Pikan Cevizi Çeşitlerinde Çiçeklenme Zamanları ve Çiçek Tozu Özelliklerinin Belirlenmesi

The aim of this study is to determine the functionality period of pistillate and staminate flower types and the pollen viability and normally developed pollen rates with pollen production in staminate flowers of monoecious pecan nut cultivars in Adana ecological conditions. In the study, 11 pecan nut cultivars named as Coctaw, Comanche, Harris Super, Hastings, Ideal, Mahan, Royal, Shawnee, Texhan, Western and Wichita were used. Flowering periods of evaluated cultivars were determined as homogamous, protandrous, partially protandrous and partially protogynous. The flowering dates occur between 3rd-20th May in 2016 and 30th April-18th May in 2017. The pollen viability rates were found to be quite high in all cultivars, but in 2017 the rates were lower than 2016. The lowest pollen viability rates were obtained from Hastings in 2016 and 2017 (60.0% and 61.6%) respectively and the highest rates were in Shawnee (89.1%) at 2016 and in Mahan (87.7%) at 2017. Normally developed pollen rates were adequate for all cultivars and the rates were differed between 92.30% and 98.42% in 2016, and 90.20% 97.24% in 2017. The differences between cultivars in terms of pollen production were significantly important. The pollen number in one catkin was found between 3.512.382 and 11.097.407 at 2016 and 6.101.233 and 14.958.453 at 2017.

Setitheca lativalva gen. et sp. nov., a fossil flower of Laurales from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber

A single staminate flower preserved in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber is described as Setitheca lativalva gen. et sp. nov. The fossil’s affinities appear to be with Monimiaceae and allied families of order Laurales. The perianth is composed of ca. 12 spirally arranged tepals of varying size and shape. A single whorl of 10 stamens is attached to the margin of a flat central disc. There is no gynoecium. In some of the stamens, the bilocular anthers are held upright, but in the others, the filaments are arched abaxially and the anthers are reflexed. Dehiscence is extrorse via 2 lateral, dorsally-hinged valves, as also occurs in some members of Hernandiaceae. The spherical pollen appears to be inaperturate. Such features as the unisexual flowers, valvate anthers, and a perianth of numerous, spirally arranged tepals are consistent with assignment of the fossil to this order of angiosperms.