New subspecies of Begonia seen in Zamboanga

Begonia bangsamoro subp. Bagasa. PHOTO BY MARK ARCEBAL K. NAIVE/PHYS.ORG

By Al Jacinto, Manila Times

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported a new subspecies of Begonia in Mount Timolan Protected Landscape in Zamboanga del Sur province.

Begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae.

The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown indoors as ornamental houseplants in cooler climates. In cooler climates some species are cultivated outside in summertime for their bright colorful flowers, which have sepals but no petals.

In ongoing taxonomic studies of the genus Begonia, the researchers and their collaborators collected a population of peculiar Begonia section Petermannia species, according to a report by Phys.org.

The report, attributed to Zhang Nannan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said after meticulously examining its morphology and comparing it with protologues and available digitized type specimens from across the Philippines and neighboring countries, the researchers confirmed it as a subspecies of Begonia bangsamoro that is new to science.

The new subspecies was named as Begonia bangsamoro subp. Bagasa and published in Phytotaxa. It is the 17th representative of the genus Begonia for Zamboanga Peninsula.

The new subspecies is a terrestrial, monoecious, perennial herb, up to 30 cm long. It differs from Begonia bangsamoro subspecies bangsamoro in having staminate and pistillate flowers with much narrower and elongate tepals.

The new subspecies is endemic to the Zamboanga Peninsula. It was found in deeply shaded lower montane forest with damp soil growing along the trail with an elevation of 700–900 m a.s.l. It was also found growing as a terrestrial, lithophyte and as a climber on tree ferns.

The conservation status of the new subspecies is proposed as "least concern" following the International Union for Conservation of Nature Standards.

The Mount Timolan Protected Landscape is a protected area covering Mount Timolan and its surrounding forested landscape. The park encompasses an area of 1,994.79 hectares (4,929.2 acres) and a buffer zone of 695.39 hectares (1,718.3 acres) in the municipalities of San Miguel, Guipos and Tigbao.

It was established on Aug. 14, 2000 through Proclamation Order 354 issued by then President Joseph Estrada. The park was also earlier established by the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur as a provincial park and wildlife sanctuary known as the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Park through Provincial Ordinance 3 in 1992.

The presence of various microhabitats is reflected in the diversity of flora and fauna found there. However, limited information is available and biodiversity studies are scarce up until now.