Species
B. pengchingii
Photos
1 photo
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. pengchingii
- Author
- Phutthai & M. Hughes, sp. nov.
- Publication Date
- 2017
- Place
- Chiang Rai Province, Mae Sai District, Huay Krai Subdistrict, in front of Doi Tung Temple
- Habitat
- Endemic to Northern Thailand; Chiang Rai Province, Mae Sai District, Huay Krai Subdistrict, in front of Doi Tung Temple. On limestone rock crevices in seasonally dry evergreen forest at an altitude of 1350 m. Flowering May to November; fruiting November to January.
- Country
- Thailand
- Region
- Asia
- Section
- Diploclinium
- Plant Type
- Tuberous
- Reference
- Ed. Jnl Bot. Four New Species of Begonia From Thailand 1-13, 2017
Plant
- Stem Type
- Succulent, glossy, erect or suberect
- Internodal Distance
- Stems succulent, glossy, erect or suberect, with sparse multicellular hairs, dark red.
Lineage
Parents
No parentage recorded.
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
- Comments
- Begonia pengchingii is restricted to karst limestone and known only from the type locality in the environs of the Phra That Doi Tung Temple, which although not a formally protected area should be safe from destruction by mining because of its status as a sacred area. However, shifting cultivation, as sometimes practiced by farmers in nearby villages, can drastically alter the microhabitat of karst vegetation, especially in terms of causing reduced shade and humidity (Kiew, 2001; Clements et al., 2006). Karst limestone areas can also attract tourists in large numbers, which can lead to habitat degradation. Therefore, we consider B. pengchingii to be vulnerable to human activities and assign the Vulnerable category under criterion D2.
- Endangered Status
- Vulnerable D2