Begoniaceae

Tuberous begonias ( Begonia × tuberhybrida ), double flowered varieties

The skew -leaved plants ( Begoniaceae ) are a family of plants within the order of pumpkin -like ( Cucurbitales ). Only one of its 1400-1500 species ( Hillebrandia sandwicensis ) does not belong to the genus Begonia. Many varieties of some species and hybrids of the genus Begonia are used as ornamental plants.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Habit and foliage leaves

They rarely grow as annuals, mostly as a perennial herbaceous plants and rare as subshrubs to shrubs that reach heights of growth of only a few centimeters to 3 meters. Many species are more or less succulent. Many species form from rhizomes or tubers. The stems may be upright, creeping or hanging; sometimes they are also very short and the leaves are more or less in basal rosettes. They rarely climb with adventitious roots or stolons form from.

The stipules envelop petiole and stem. The change-constant and spirally or two lines, basal, or distributed on the stem arranged leaves are petiolate and often break easily. They usually have asymmetrical leaf blades, which are usually simple, rarely composed. The leaf margin may be irregular sawn or sometimes smooth. The leaf blades are pinnately.

Inflorescences and flowers

Begonia plants are mostly monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ), so there are male and female flowers on a plant; Often they are dioecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( dioecious ), then there is all-female or male plants. The flowers are fünfzählig. In most pendent, branched total inflorescences are two to four or more, often many dichotomous, zymöse part inflorescences together; rarely only a single zymöser inflorescence is available. The inflorescences and partial inflorescences are stalked and contain bracts.

The always unisexual flowers are more or less zygomorphic. The bloom are alike, so not in calyx and corolla separated ( tepals ). In Hillebrandia ten bracts are present, which are differentiated into sepals and petals Male flowers contain two or four cross against permanent, free bracts of which the two outer are usually larger. There are usually many, rarely only four centripetal stamens present. The stamens are usually are free or rarely fused at their base; all stamens of the male flowers are fertile. Female flowers usually contain two to five, rarely up to ten bracts, which are usually free, or rarely fused at their base. Most three (one to eight) carpels are fused to an inferior ovary, which may be nodding, suspended or ascending. There are two, three, or rarely more style available, which can be free or fused at their base and are forked once or several times. The shape of the scar is very variable. Each ovary chamber contains 15 to 50 ovules. Female flowers may contain staminodes.

Fruit and seeds

They usually form dry, lokulizidale capsule fruits that are usually more or less winged asymmetrical or three-to vierhörnig and membranous. The capsule fruits contain very many, very small seeds with a light brown, reticulate testa. Most of these fine seeds are the diasporas and are usually caused by wind, rarely spread by raindrops. Rarely, the fruits are berry-like; they are the diasporas and are eaten by animals. There is no endosperm present.

Chromosome number and the ingredients

The chromosome number is variable n = 10-21 or more. The plants accumulate free oxalates.

Dissemination

Species of this family can be found in humid tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Most species are native to South America. Only one species Begonia grandis thrives in temperate latitudes in the Western Hills near Peking and is hardy in Central Europe in sheltered places.

System

The Begoniaceae family in 1820 under the name begoniae Friedrich Graf von Berchtold and Jan Svatopluk Presl in Přirozenosti rostlin, 1: 270 and then published in 1824 by the name of Carl Adolph Agardh in Begoniaceae of Aphorismi Botanici 200.

In the family of Begoniaceae there are only two genera. Overall, from 1400 to 1500 species of this family are associated with only one type belongs to a different genus as Begonia:

• Begonia ( Begonia L. ), also called skew sheet. The least 1,400 species are divided into 63 to 66 sections. It is thus one of the most species-rich plant genera.

• Hillebrandia Oliv. is a monotypic genus. It differs from Begonia mainly by half under constant, not completely fused ovary and differentiated into sepals and petals bloom. The only kind: Hillebrandia sandwicensis Oliv. Hawaii.

. The former genus Symbegonia Warblers: With approximately twelve endemic species in New Guinea, is today ( Swensen et al, 1998; Forrest & Hollingsworth, 2003. ) Only one section of the genus Begonia. Of the other Begonia taxa they are distinguished by completely deformed into a tube ( hence the name ) bloom in the female flowers. This is an adaptation to their pollinators, the sunbirds.

Within the order of the Cucurbitales Begoniaceae are most closely related to the Datiscaceae.

Use

Some species, hybrids and their varieties of the genus Begonia are ornamental plants for parks, gardens and balconies around the world. About 130 species, hybrids and their varieties are cultivated as house plants for their colorful foliage or their impressive flowers.

Rarely Begonia species are used as food: The leaves of Begonia picta and Begonia palmata be eaten raw or cooked. The sour -tasting stems of Begonia picta be eaten inserted.

Medical effects fewer types have been examined.

Swell

• Description of the family of Begoniaceae in APWebsite (English )
• Description of the family of Begoniaceae at Watson & MJ Dallwitz L. (English )
• Cuizhi Gu, Ching -I Peng & Nicholas J. Turland: Begoniaceae in the Flora of China, Volume 13, p 153: Online
• Shahina Ghazanfar & Parveen Aziz: Begoniaceae in the Flora of Pakistan: Online