B. ngocbonii

Culture

Endangered Status

Least Concern

Original Botanical Description or Link to

Monoecious, erect herb. Stem erect or ascending, rooting at nodes when procumbent, pale greyish-green to reddishgreen, 30–50 cm tall, 0.3–0.7 cm across, internodes (0.5–) 1.5–8 cm long, shorter near the stem apex; sparsely to densely pale brownish strigose, hairs appressed or curved towards the apex of stem, glabrescent. Stipules creamy green to pale reddish-green, hyaline, oblong-ovate to lanceolate, 7.5–12 mm long, 3–5.5 mm wide, strongly keeled, glabrous or abaxially spares strigose at midrib, margin entire, apex aristate, arista ca. 2 mm long. Petioles terete, non-oblique, slightly grooved above, 5–10 mm long on upper stem, to 20 mm long on lower stem, ca. 2.5 mm across, pale green to reddish-green, appressed strigose. Leaves 8–14 or more, held nearly horizontally; lamina basifixed, asymmetric, obovate to narrowly obovate, 8–12 cm long (basal lobes included), 2–5.3 cm wide, broad side 1.1–2.7 cm wide, basal lobe cordate, unequal, to 5 mm long on broad side, margin sparsely denticulate with larger teeth at end of veins, apex attenuate to acuminate; leaf thickly chartaceous, succulent, slightly bullate between veins, adaxially light green to emerald green, glabrous or very sparsely red scabrous between veins, sparsely curved strigose on midrib; abaxially pale green, curved strigose on veins; venation pinnate, midrib 7.5–11.5 cm long, with ca. 4 lateral veins on each side, veins branching dichotomously, tertiary veins obscure, weakly percurrent or reticulate; midrib and primary veins reddish adaxially, red to pale brown and prominently raised abaxially. Bracts persistent, pale creamy green to reddish, ovate to ovate-triangular, basal pair ca. 2. 5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, margin entire, apex aristate, bracts of upper inflorescence similar basal pair but smaller, reflexed. Inflorescence very short, axillary, unisexual or sometimes bisexual, pistillate flowers 1 or 2, staminate flowers 1 or few on a reduced cyme on upper stem, hidden by leaves; protogynous. Staminate flower pedicel 5–10 mm long, glabrous, tepals 2, pale pink to white, sometimes with a greenish tinge towards margin, orbicular to very widely ovate, 5–7 mm long, 7–9 mm wide, glabrous, margin entire, apex rounded; androecium actinomorphic, stamens 21–45, filaments shortly fused at base; anther obovate, ca. 0.8 mm long, apex retuse, subequal or longer than filament. Pistillate flower: subsessile, ovary pale pink to pale creamy green, trigonous-ellipsoid, ca. 6 mm long, 4 mm across excluding wings, glabrous, 3-winged, wings triangular, subequal, 7–9 mm long, ca. 3.5 mm wide, truncate distally, cuneate or rounded proximally, margin subentire, 3-locular, placenta 1 per locule; tepals 2, pinkish-white, sometimes with a greenish tinge towards margin, orbicular or very widely ovate, glabrous, 6–7 mm long, 7.5–9 mm wide, margin entire, apex rounded; styles 3, golden yellow or orangish-yellow, bifid, ca. 3 mm long, C-shaped; stigmas in a spiral band and papillose all around. Fruit subsessile, capsule pale green, ca. 10 mm long, 10 mm across (wings excluded), wings 3, subequal, triangular, margin entire, 13–15 mm long, 4–5 mm wide.