New Begonia species identified in Kerala’s Western Ghats
Researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute have identified Begonia rajvikramanii in Kollam’s Rosemala forests. The plant grows on wet rocky surfaces, is currently known only from its discovery site and has been assessed as Data Deficient because its observed population is limited.
Researchers have identified a new species of Begonia from the Western Ghats in Kerala’s Kollam district. The plant was found in the evergreen forests of Rosemala by a team from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram. The researchers named the species Begonia rajvikramanii after R.
Raj Vikraman, a former head of JNTBGRI’s Garden Management Division. The name recognises his contribution to the institute’s garden and its ex situ plant-conservation programmes. A paper by E.S.
Santhosh Kumar, S.M. Shareef, P.P. Anusha and Rejitha Joseph describing the plant and its identification has been published in Phytotaxa.
The team found the plant growing on wet rocky cliffs and road-cut walls at elevations of about 200 to 350 metres. Begonia rajvikramanii flowers and fruits between August and April. Comparisons with scientific literature, type specimens and authenticated herbarium material found that it was most similar to Begonia tenera, a species distributed in India and Sri Lanka, but differed in several physical characteristics.
The newly identified species is currently known only from its type locality at Rosemala. The researchers observed about 200 mature individuals in an area of less than five square kilometres. Using the 2024 IUCN Red List categories and criteria, the team assessed the species as Data Deficient, pending a more comprehensive assessment.
The Begonia genus has 2,200 accepted species, while 23 species are represented in the Western Ghats, according to the research material.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.