The female flowers of Begonia pentandra

Not just a new species, but a new section, Begonia section Oligandrae, which is endemic to the highlands of New Guinea and comprises five species. This section provides a name for a group of previously ‘stateless’ begonias whose unusual floral morphology doesn’t fit into previously described sections, and has just been published in Phytotaxa in a collaboration between RBGE and Harvard University Herbarium. The name means “few stamens”, as the male flowers have between 4 and 8 stamens, not 40-60-odd as in most other begonias. The latest member of sect. Oligandrae to be described, Begonia pentandra, has beautifully fringed delicate pink bracts.