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Begonia hirtella

Link (1822)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Cucurbitales Family: Begoniaceae Genus: Begonia

bearded begonia, begonia

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Short-lived perennial herbs 3–6 dm tall.

Stems: Stems green or red–tinged, erect, branched, covered with long flexuous hairs, especially when younger.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple, rarely compound. Alternate; widely spaced, blades oblique to petioles. Blades reniform–ovate, (2–)3–11 cm long, (1–)2–4 cm wide. Surfaces sparsely hirtellous; lower surfaces sparsely hirtellous only along the principal veins; blades membranous. Margins irregularly shallowly toothed and ciliate. Petioles usually reddish, 1.5–7 cm long. Stipules lanceolate–oblong, 0.7–1.1 cm long, conspicuously long–ciliate, somewhat persistent.

Flowers: Flowers pendent, in branched cymes. Flowers unisexual (often monoecious); often somewhat irregular. few. Bracts deciduous, similar to stipules. Perianth parts usually distinct, rarely inconsistently connate, staminate flowers usually consisting of 4 parts in 2 opposite pairs, the lower apparently represent the Calyx, the upper representing the corolla, occasionally only 2 parts or more than 4; pistillate flowers usually consisting of a single imbricate series of 5 Perianth parts or sometimes 2–4(6–8). Perianth of staminate flowers in 2 or 4 parts, outer ones broadly suborbicular, ca. 4–7 mm long, inner ones, when present, narrowly elliptic, ca. 2–3.5 mm long. pistillate perianth parts 5, similar to staminate but smaller. Stamens 10–15, nearly distinct; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits or occasionally by terminal pores, the connective usually protruded above the pollen sacs or sometimes well separating them. Ovary inferior, with as many cells or rarely the placental partitions not complete and thus 1-celled, placentation axile or, when ovary 1-celled, parietal; ovules numerous, anatropous; styles distinct or sometimes connate, usually 2-lobed; stigmas usually twisted.

Fruit: Loculicidal capsules; usually with prominent unequal or equal wings; sometimes fleshy and indehiscent; capsules ellipsoid; 0.6–0.8 cm long; winged; the larger wing ca. 8–12 mm wide. Seeds numerous and small; endosperm essentially absent; reticulate.

Ploidy: 2n = 34; 36

Habitat: naturalized; and sometimes locally common; in disturbed; wet; shaded sites; especially moist banks.

Elevation Range: 450–940 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 2: 296 (1822)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:383 (O, EM, H); Lorence et al. 1995:25 (K); Oppenheimer 2004:9 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:175 (KEY), 178 (DESCR); Oppenheimer & Bustamente 2014a:19 (L)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Begonia hirtella Kawailoa, Makai of Kawaiiki ditch intake Naturalized on isolated shaded outcrops. Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 27920 Oahu BISH 1962-04-09
2 Begonia hirtella ahupuaa of Halepuaa in the Puna District The Begonia is common and appears to like shaded areas under Hala, Ohia or yellow guava canopies. The ground is stoney `a`a with a thin layer of organic material. Preserved_Specimen Yoshida, L. 79.033 Hawaii BISH 1979-02-22
3 Begonia hirtella Lanai City; Mahana Place. Naturalized in clogged raingutter with Phlebodium areum. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 71109 Lanai BISH 2011-07-20
4 Begonia hirtella Lyon Arboretum. Volunteer in nursery area & in cultivated areas on grounds Preserved_Specimen Common herb to 0.5 m. height. Flowers whitish. Nagata, K.M. 3358 Oahu BISH 1985-08-20
5 Begonia hirtella Keauohana Forest Reserve, near Pahoa, Puna Naturalized in broken lava pubble in scrub region. Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 21764 Hawaii BISH 1952-02-02
6 Begonia hirtella Kona District: Koolau Mts., Honolulu Forest Reserve, north of Honolulu. Along Tantalus Drive, near entrance to Hawaiian Telephone Company facility Wet shaded roadside. Preserved_Specimen Perianth white, stamens yellow. Lammers, T.G. 5327 Oahu BISH 1983-08-27
7 Begonia hirtella W Maui,Wailuku District, Iao Valley Growing on wet roadcuts. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 30219 Maui BISH 2002-03-30
8 Begonia hirtella ahupuaa of Halepuaa in the Puna District HUMAN_OBSERVATION 1441951053 Hawaii HAPI 1/2/1998
9 Begonia hirtella Along Hana Hwy On moist banks Preserved_Specimen Rinehart, A.F. 23689 Maui BISH 1992-08-06
10 Begonia hirtella Manoa Cliffs Trail and vicinity Preserved_Specimen Low herb with white flowers, common abundance. Lennstrom, H. 1994134 Oahu BISH 1994-10-30
11 Begonia hirtella W Maui, Lahaina District, Honolua Valley, below the dam On shady, rocky bluff on N side of stream. Occasional in alien dominated, secondary Lowland Mesic Forest, mostly mango canopy. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 50505 Maui BISH 2005-05-05
12 Begonia hirtella Koolau Range, Kawaiiki Preserved_Specimen Flowers white. Bishop, B. Oahu BISH 1962-03-18
13 Begonia hirtella Kawaihau, c.0.5 miles above Hoopii Falls Naturalized on wet rock face on Kapa'a Stream. [FROM DESC] blade above lettuce-green, satiny, w/brown-red spot where veins enamate from apex of petiole; below much paler, glistening. Long hairs on youngest shoots white. [SEE COMMENT]. Preserved_Specimen Lax plants to 23 cm. Stems pale green to whitish, succulent, w/flassy hairs. Leaves: petiole pale green, some w/pink cast, becoming bright brown-red at apex at base of blade; blade to 7.5x4.5cm. But mostly smaller; [SEE HABITAT]. Hume, L. 427 Kauai BISH 1989-10-15
14 Begonia hirtella Puu Ohia in Manoa Cliffs restoration area. Koolau Mountains On edge of dry streamlet under 10-15 m canopy of Metrosideros polymorpha, Hibiscus cf. arnottianus, and Acacia koa. With Oplismenus, Colocasia esculenta, Pyrrhobryum, Freycinetia arborea, Asplenium insiticium (see MKT collection), and Pritchardia lawriana Preserved_Specimen Small herbaceous weed. Pale whitish flowers. Light pinkish stems Walvoord, N. 2023017 Oahu BISH 2023-05-12
15 Begonia hirtella Kauai, Hanalei District. Limahuli Garden and Preserve, in Lower Limahuli Preserve restoration area, on eastern slope above Limahuli Stream. Secondary forest invaded by alien species. Natives include Pisonia wagneriana, Pandanus tectorius, Freycinebia, Psychotria mariniana. Non-natives include Aleurites moluccana, Coffea arabica, Syzygium malaccensis, Psidium, Schefflera. Preserved_Specimen Herb to 45 cm tall growing on mossy boulder. Stems & petioles succulent, pale green, leaves bright green, fleshy. Flowers white, capsules drying brown, fluttering in wind. Naturalized locally. Lorence, D.H. 10821 Kauai BISH 2020-09-22
16 Begonia hirtella East Maui, Hana Road above Keanae Abundant on wet vertical road-cut along highway. Preserved_Specimen Leaves green, flowers white. Fosberg, F.R. 65993 Maui BISH 1991-01-16
17 Begonia hirtella within Halepuaa Forest Reserve in the puna District Ranges lightly throughout the forest reserve in shady locales. Preserved_Specimen Clarke, G. 79.225 Hawaii BISH 1979-03-08
18 Begonia hirtella East Maui, Hana District, Kalahu Point, PTBG Kahanu Garden Along edge of Pandanus forest. Terrestrial or epiphytic on rock walls. Common Preserved_Specimen Leaves dark green above, pale green below. Petiole at junction with leaf reddish. Petals white; stamens bright yellow; stigmas bright yellow-green. Flynn, T.W. 2386 Maui BISH 1987-10-06
19 Begonia hirtella Honolulu, 3477 Round Top DR. wet roadside; with Setaria palmifolia, Pilea microphylla, Hedychium flavescens Preserved_Specimen 3-6 dm; upper leaf blades have hirtellus veins Ray, G. 22 Oahu BISH 1997-08-08
20 Begonia hirtella Honolulu, Manoa Cliffs Trail, c.1/4 miles from beginning of trail Growing on moist, shaded rocks along trail. Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 5486 Oahu BISH 1984-11-22
21 Begonia hirtella Koolau mts., Pupukea-Paumalu, Koolauloa Rare, in moist shady gulch at edge of Casuarina forest. Preserved_Specimen Nagata, K.M. 3771 Oahu BISH 1987-12-11
22 Begonia hirtella East Maui, Keanae Arboretum Locally common on damp, shady, cliffs. Preserved_Specimen Hobdy, R.W. 2487 Maui BISH 1986-01-23
23 Begonia hirtella S. Hilo DISTR., Waikea AHU., Tr 27(79); E. slope of Mauna Loa; upper Waiakea For Res.; W. of 'Olaa Flume Rd Wet 'ohi'a forest with native shrubs/matted-fern and some tree ferns in the understory. Growing on 'a'a with ash. Preserved_Specimen Warshauer, F.R. Hawaii BISH 1978-03-03
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