by Jacky Duruisseau
This new series of pages aims to introduce you to the botany of your beloved plants, those of the genus Begonia.
Recognising that a plant is a Begonia, describing a new species or identifying a Begonia all rely on numerous, precise scientific criteria.
In short, the following characters will be examined, in this order:
- The type of plant (terrestrial or epiphytic), its habit (rhizomatous, climbing, upright stem, etc.), the texture of its stems, its lifespan (annual or perennial plant), and whether or not it has a tuber or bulbils.
- The stipules (always present in the genus Begonia), which can be persistent or caducous
- The leaves (arrangement, position of the blade in relation to the petiole, divisions of the blade, peltate or not, symmetrical or not, arrangement of the veins, etc.)
- The inflorescences (their position, arrangement, sexuality, number of flowers, bracts)
- The male flowers (their colour, number of tepals and their arrangement, number of stamens, their arrangement and structure)
- The female flowers (colour, number of tepals, bracteoles, the ovary, its shape, its wings, its placentation)
- The fruit (how it releases the seeds, the seeds)
So as not to put you off or overload you, the pages will be spread out over time…
The description of the characters will be accompanied by photos, a glossary and explanatory diagrams, accessible through links.
Many examples of plants will also be given, with the sections they belong to and the habitats where they are found.
