By Kate E. Armstrong, Lance E. Jones
Jul 26 2019
The amount of time between when a species is first collected and when it is officially named and described can be long. In this case, almost 100 years! Begonia rheophytica is a new species from Myanmar recently published by scientists at the New York Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Forest Research Institute of Myanmar.
Prior to its recent publication, this species was collected by famous plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward. Celebrated for his expeditions to Myanmar, India, and China, Kingdon-Ward first encountered this species in 1922 and subsequently mentioned it in two of his popular books, including From China to Hkmati Long (1924) when he wrote, “In the rocks in the stream-bed grew masses of a curious but beautiful Begonia, with snow-white flowers, and very regular, lanceolate leaves.” In Burma’s Icy Mountains (1949) he later stated, “The muddy path descends about 1000 feet to the Ti Hka on a slanting traverse, winding round the hillside and crossing several gushing torrents...Clumps of Begonia with long falchion-shaped leaves instead of the usual elephant ear grew in the rocky torrent beds. I have never met with this species anywhere else.”
You may recognize the name Begonia as belonging to a common garden plant. This species is, in fact, a cousin of the many species in cultivation. Widely distributed throughout the tropics, Begonias are known for the striking variation in the shape and coloration of their leaves. This new species is noted for its long, lance-shaped leaves and preference for growing on boulders in streams where it is likely submerged in water periodically. Thus, its specific epithet “rheophytica,” denoting a plant that grows in running water.
Begonia rheophytica is only known to exist in a single locality in northern Myanmar. Having a small distribution makes it vulnerable to habitat loss. This addition to the 73 known species of Begonia in Myanmar highlights the need to explore the little-known regions of our planet, not to mention the immense amount of time and effort required.
