| Begonia melanobullata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Begoniaceae |
| Genus: | Begonia |
| Species: | B. melanobullata |
| Binomial name | |
| Begonia melanobullata C.I Peng & C.W.Lin | |
Begonia melanobullata, the Vietnamese black peak begonia or Vietnam ferox, is a species of flowering plant in the family Begoniaceae, native to Vietnam. [1] It was first documented in limestone karst areas across the Sino-Vietnamese border. [2]
Begonia melanobullata is noteworthy for having hair-tipped, dark-colored conical bullae across the upper leaf surface. It has red flower stalks, and red-streaked, green tinted flowers and seed capsules. It's very similar to Begonia ferox and Begonia nahangensis but differs in size and leaf shape. [2]
| B. melanobullata | B. ferox | B. nahangensis | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stipule | Length | 1.4–2.5 cm | 1–1.7 cm | 0.4–0.6 cm |
| Leaf | Apex | Acuminate | Acuminate | Obtuse to nearly rounded |
| Shape | Widely ovate to widely elliptic | Ovate | Broadly oblique-ovate or oblique-reniform | |
| Conical bullae on upper surface | Present on all leaves; erect hairs tipping bullae persistent | Progressively developed on leaves as the plant matures; hairs on bullae soon deciduous | Unknown | |
| Inflorescence | Peduncle length (cm) | 15–38 | 5–13 | (8–) 10–12 (−14) |
| Male flower | Tepal color | Greenish | Pale pinkish-yellow | White to light pink |
| Tepal size (mm) | Outer 6–9 × 7–9, inner 5–7 × 3–4 | Outer 9–11 × 6–11, inner 7–11 × 4 | Outer 8–9 in diam., inner 8–9 × 2.5–3.5 | |
| Anther length (mm) | 0.5–0.8 | Ca. 1 | Ca. 0.5 | |
| Female flower | Tepal color | Yellowish-pinkish | Pinkish-white | Light olive-green |
| Tepal size (mm) | Outer 7–8 × 7–8, inner 4–6 × 2–3 | Outer 8–11 × 7–11 mm, inner 8–9 × 3–4 | Outer (4.5) 5–6 (7) × (8) 9–11 (12) mm, inner 5–6 × 3–3. | |
| Capsule | Size | 1.2–1.9 cm long; abaxial wing crescent-shaped, 0.5–0.7 cm wide | 1–1.5 cm long; abaxial wing crescent-shaped, 0.6–0.9 cm wide | 0.8–1 cm long; abaxial wing oblique-triangular, 0.4 cm wide |
| Distribution | Northern Vietnam | Guangxi, China | Northern Vietnam | |
Growth habit
Pistillate flowers
Staminate flowers
Immature capsule cross section
