B. gemella

Culture

Endangered Status

Critically Endangered (CR), B1ab(iii)+B2ab(iii).

Original Botanical Description or Link to

Perennial, monoecious herb, creeping up to c.1 m long. Stem creeping, internodes 1.5–4 cm long, brownish-greenish, glabrous except for microscopical glandular hairs. Leaves basifixed, alternate; stipules persistent, 5–8 × 4–5 mm, isophyllus, ovate, with an abaxially slightly prominent midrib, apex narrowed into a bristle projecting up to 1 mm, margin entire, white-pinkish, translucent, abaxially glabrous; petioles 7.5–11 cm long, terete, concolorous with the stem, glabrous except for microscopic glandular hairs and very sparse pilose hairs on the joint of the petiole and lamina; lamina 5–9.5 × 4.5–8 cm, asymmetrical, broadly ovate to suborbicular, base cordate and lobes sometimes slightly overlapping, apex acuminate, margin denticulate to shallowly lobed, adaxial surface green, with red line along the margin, glabrous, abaxial surface pale green, glabrous; venation palmate-pinnate, primary veins 6–8, actinodromous, secondary veins craspedodromous. Inflorescences protogynous; female inflorescences basal to male, single-flowered, peduncles 7–11 mm long, green-reddish, glabrous, bracts stipule-like, 5–6 × 3 mm, ovate, reddish, glabrous, translucent, bracteoles persistent, anisophyllus, ovate to broadly ovate, c.3 × 4 mm, reddish, glabrous, translucent; male inflorescence a thyrse composed of up to 3 monochasial partial inflorescences with shortly developed internodes, each with up to 4 flowers, primary peduncle 1.5–2 cm long, partial inflorescence peduncle 1.5–4 cm long, shorter towards the apex, bracts persistent, stipule-like, 3–5 × 2–3 mm, ovate, reddish, translucent, midrib slightly prominent projecting up to 0.5 mm at the apex, bracteoles persistent, minute, hair-like. Male flowers: pedicels 15–18 mm long, white-pinkish, glabrous; tepals 2, white to white tinged with pink or greenish, 8.5–16.5 × 11–13 mm, broadly ovate, base slightly cordate, apex rounded, outer surface glabrous; androecium of 75–77 stamens, yellow, filaments up to c.1.5 mm long, slightly fused at the very base, anthers up to c.1 mm long, oblong to narrowly obovate, dehiscing through unilaterally positioned slits that are c.1/2 as long as the anthers. Female flowers: pedicels 7–10 mm long, reddish-greenish, glabrous; bracteoles persistent, tepals 5, white tinged with pink, 10–16 × 5–8 mm, obovate, outer surface glabrous; ovary (excluding wings) c.10 × 5–6 mm, narrowly obovate, red, glabrous, locules 3, placentation axile, placentae bilamellate, wings 3, equal, greenish-reddish, base rounded apex truncate to rounded, up to 8 mm at the widest point (apically or subapically); style c.4 mm long, basally fused, 3-branched, each stylodium bifurcate in the stigmatic region, stigmatic surface a spirally twisted papillose band, orange. Fruits: peduncles 7–13 mm long; pedicels 8–11 mm long, bracteoles persistent; seed-bearing part (excluding the wings) 11–12 × 6–7 mm, obovate, glabrous, dehiscent, splitting along the wing attachment, wing shape as for ovary, up to 9 mm at the widest point (apically or subapically). Seeds barrel-shaped, c.0.2 mm long.Distribution. Indonesia: endemic to Sulawesi, North Sulawesi Province (eastern North biogeographical region), Southeast Minahasa, Ratatotok (see Figure 2).Habitat. This species grows on lowland limestone karst walls, in disturbed habitats, in half shade to full shade, at 20–250 m elevation.Etymology. The name is derived from Latin gemellus (‘a twin’, ‘twin-born’), probably in reference to the few-flowered male inflorescences.Proposed IUCN