Begonia quadricornualata

Begonia quadricornualata Latest News

Botanists recently discovered a new plant species named Begonia quadricornualata in the remote forests of northeast India.

About Begonia quadricornualata

• It is a new plant species.
• It was discovered in the Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh, a region nestled at the intersection of the Himalaya and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots.
• The discovery occurred during a routine botanical documentation project in Senki View, located on the eastern fringe of the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary.  

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Begonia quadricornualata Features

• It is characterised by its four-horned fruit, upright stems and delicate white-to-pink flowers. 
• Derived from the Latin words quattuor (four), cornu (horn), and alatus (winged), the name quadricornualata refers to the way four horns on the plant’s ovary transform into four fully developed wings as the fruit matures.  
  • This unique fruit structure, which is densely covered in reddish-brown wool, helps distinguish it from other hornless or ridged species in the region. 
• What sets it apart from its closest relatives is its distinctively rugged appearance. 
• The female plants are covered in dense, long, red-to-brown “hispid” hairs, stiff bristles that give the leaves a woolly texture. 
• It also boasts exceptionally long leaf stalks, or petioles, which can reach up to 50 centimetres in length, nearly double the size of its nearest cousins, Begonia handelii and Begonia tessaricarpa. 
• While its relatives often grow flowers in clusters, the female version of this new species produces only a single flower at a time. 
• For now, the species has been categorised as “Data Deficient,” .

News: RM