Begonia phoeniogramma
| Begonia phoeniogramma | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Male flower | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Begoniaceae |
| Genus: | Begonia |
| Species: | B. phoeniogramma |
| Binomial name | |
| Begonia phoeniogramma | |
Begonia phoeniogramma, also known as the red striped begonia,[2] is a species of tuberous flowering plant in the family Begoniaceae found in Peninsular Malaysia. It was described by Henry Nicholas Ridley in 1917.
Description
Begonia phoeniogramma is a small herbaceous plant around 10-15 cm tall[3] with a small tuber that is 12 mm long by 14 mm wide. Plants consist of erect, slender and succulent stems without hairs that are a pale translucent reddish brown, bearing similar coloured ovate tipped stipules with smooth margins around 5-6 mm by 3-4 mm.[4]
Leaves measure to about 8.5-19 cm by 6.5-12 cm and are strongly asymmetric,[5] glossy, ovate with acuminate to acute to elongate tips and a rounded, heart-shaped base.[3][4] The margins of the leaves are undulate, while leaf venation is palmate-pinnate. B. phoeniogramma leaves exhibit polymorphism, varying from being plain green on both sides of the leaf, being dark green dorsally with blue iridescence and pale white, deep red[5] or magenta ventrally, to having pale green or dark green leaves with grey-green silvery spots on top.[4]
Plants possess a pale reddish brown cyme inflorescence held up by a 5-9 cm long peduncle bearing both male and female flowers (monoecy).[3][4] Both sexes bear lanceolate[3] or ovate greenish red bracts with red stripes. Male flowers consist of four hairless white tepals with the two outer obovate tepals having red veins that are raised as ribs on the outer surface; the inner two tepals narrowly obovate and purely white. The stamens of the male flower are many, forming globular (globose) clusters.[4]
Female flowers, however, have five to seven pale pink tepals with raised red stripes. The ovaries above the female flowers are green with reddish veins on each of its unequal three wings[3] and are about 5-8 mm long.[4] The resulting fruit capsule is 10-13 mm by 21-22 mm in size, and hangs from a fine and hair-like stalk. The largest wing measures around 10-17 mm wide, while the smaller two are 3-5 mm wide.[4] Seeds are around 0.25 mm and barrel-shaped.[4]
Habitat and ecology
Begonia phoeniogramma is restricted to the lowland[5] forests of Selangor, mainly the forested areas of Gombak, Sungai Lalang and Sungai Buloh, with the exception of a population in Bentong, Pahang and a population in Mount Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.[6] In Batu Caves, it inhabits steep earth-covered slopes and shaded scree.[7]
In the wild, pollination is presumed to be carried out by stingless bees that visit the flowers.[6] Individual plants produce their first true leaves three to four weeks after sowing, and are considered to be mature once the leaves reach a width of 5 cm.[5] Variegation in the form of silver-grey leaf spots displayed by some individuals in Batu Caves and Gabai Waterfall seems to be selectively neutral and play no adaptive role.[8][9]
Threats
Begonia phoeniogramma is considered as near threatened by the Malaysia Plant Red List due to a combination of threats stemming from human development and tourism.[6]
Taxonomy and nomenclature
Begonia phoeniogramma is placed under Begonia sect. Parvibegonia, which includes species like B. tenuifolia.[10] Within the section, B. phoeniogramma, together with B. elisabethae, B. integrifolia, and B. variabilis were found to belong within one major clade.[8]
B. phoeniogramma was first collected in Batu Caves and thought mistakenly as B. paupercula by botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley.[3] However, upon seeing the paratype of B. paupercula in Kew Herbarium, Ridley had realized that it was a separate species.[11] Subsequently, in 1917, it was described and published in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.[1] The specific epithet, phoeniogramma, is in reference to the red-striped flowers.[11]
References
- 1 2 "Begonia phoeniogramma Ridl. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Begonia phoeniogramma". Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Retrieved 10 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ridley, Henry N. (1910). "New or Rare Malayan Plants". Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 5. 54. Singapore: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Malaysian Branch. ISSN 2304-7542. OCLC 2015693. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kiew, Ruth (2005). Begonias of Peninsular Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu: Natural History Publications (Borneo) in association with Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, Singapore. p. 320. ISBN 983-812-086-3. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Kok Kiat, Tan; Fariezza Khairi Thaw, Siti; Sabini, Ikman; Yoke Mui, Chan (December 2023). Panduan Pembiakan Begonia Terpilih Melalui Keratan Daun [Guide to Reproducing Selected Begonias Through Leaf Cuttings] (in Malay). Institut Penyelidikan Perhutanan Malaysia & Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia. p. 69. ISBN 978-967-2810-66-7. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 Yoke Mui, Chan. "Begonia phoeniogramma Ridl. in Bukit Tampin. The first record for Negeri Sembilan". Conservation Malaysia Bulletin. No. 24. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). ISSN 1823-7975. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Kiew, Ruth; Rahman, Rafidah Abdul (11 May 2021). "Plant diversity assessment of karst limestone, a case study of Malaysia's Batu Caves". Nature Conservation. 44: 21–49. doi:10.3897/natureconservation.44.60175. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
- 1 2 May Tam, Sheh; Fareed, Fathmath Shahman; Kiew, Ruth (March 2023). "Genetic relationships, diversity and the occurrence of natural leaf variegation in populations of Begonia phoeniogramma Ridl. (Begoniaceae) from Batu Baves, Selangor, Malaysia". Malayan Nature Journal. 75 (1): 69–77. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
- ↑ Kiew, R.; Nuratiqah, A.R. (2023). "Malaysian Cave and Karst Conservancy Batu Caves Scientific Expedition 2019" (PDF). Malayan Nature Journal. 75 (1): 1–13. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
- ↑ Moonlight, Peter W.; Ardi, Wisnu H.; Padilla, Luzmila Arroyo; Chung, Kuo-Fang; Fuller, Daniel; Girmansyah, Deden; Hollands, Ruth; Jara-Muñoz, Adolfo; Kiew, Ruth; Leong, Wai-Chao; Liu, Yan; Mahardika, Adi; Marasinghe, Lakmini D.K.; O’Connor, Meriel; Peng, Ching-I; Pérez, Álvaro J.; Phutthai, Thamarat; Pullan, Martin; Rajbhandary, Sangeeta; Reynel, Carlos; Rubite, Rosario R.; Sang, Julia; Scherberich, David; Shui, Yu-Min; Tebbitt, Mark C.; Thomas, Daniel C.; Wilson, Hannah P.; Zaini, Nura H.; Hughes, Mark (April 2018). "Dividing and conquering the fastest–growing genus: Towards a natural sectional classification of the mega–diverse genus Begonia (Begoniaceae)". Taxon. 67 (2): 267–323. doi:10.12705/672.3. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 Ridley, Henry N. (1917). "New and Rare Malayan Plants". Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 9. 75. Singapore: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Malaysian Branch. ISSN 2304-7542. OCLC 2015693. Retrieved 9 July 2026.