Begonia salaziensis

Begonia salaziensis is a rare plant from the family of skew -leaved plants ( Begoniaceae ). It occurs on Mauritius and Réunion.

Description

Begonia salaziensis is a shrub that reaches the plant height of 2.4 meters. The stem is branched and smooth. Among young individuals, the bark is green, brown in adult silvery. The branches are straight or curved. The deciduous stipules are lanceolate to ovate, 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters long and 0.5 to 1 centimeter wide. The green, hairless stems are 2.5 to 11 inches long. The bright green, hairless leaves are asymmetrical, ovate, 7-16 cm long and 3.5 to 10.5 inches wide. The apex of the stem axis is gradually tapered. The leaf base is cordate, leaf margin is entire, and the veins show a hand- shaped pattern.

They are monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ). The axillary inflorescence zymöse carries up to 15 flowers. The deciduous, ovate bracts are 10-15 mm long and 6-10 mm wide. Both the male and the female flowers have four white bracts. In the male flowers the outer Blütenhüllblattpaar is almost round, the inner ovate to elliptic. In the male flowers are 15 to 18 stamens, which are arranged symmetrically. The stamens are united at the base. In the female flower bracts are not available. Both Blütenhüllblattpaare are broadly ovate to almost round. The under constant ovary is yellowish green. The three pens are branched unique. The scars consist of a spiral band.

The berry- shaped to ellipsoidal capsule fruits are bright orange. They are wingless, have three chambers, 5 to 10 mm long and 2.5 to 6 mm wide. The seeds carriers are parietal and two-piece.

Occurrence and habitat

The type specimen of Begonia salaziensis 1837 collected on Réunion. Currently, there exists still an unknown number of individuals in a few forest remnants. In Mauritius, the species was originally distributed at the volcano Trou Kanaka where she is today but probably extinct. One copy is known from the region at Bel Ombre. Begonia salaziensis occurs in montane tropical rain forests with waterfalls. The shrub grows on humus soil, on moist rocks or in rock crevices.

Status

Begonia salaziensis has been displaced by invasive plant species largely from their habitats. The exact number in the wild is unknown, the IUCN goes from a stock of less than 50 specimens and classified the species as " critically endangered " one. 1986 called the British botanist Wendy Strahm an ex situ conservation program for Begonia salaziensis to life. Seeds were sent to the University of Wageningen and plants that were grown from it flowered after 16 months. Since 1987, distributed by Wageningen from seeds to North American and European collections. Specimens of this species are, among others, in the Botanical Gardens Flora in Cologne.