South West Region - American Begonia Society
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Section Gireoudia - page 1

This program must have several, more than 10, of the species mentioned, to be effective. The more plants and the greater the variety, the better. The benefit to the program attendees will be in seeing the wide variation in plant structure that is represented by this one section. Plants should be passed around the room so that everyone has a chance to handle each plant and note its characteristics.

Section characteristics
1. American (Mexico and latin America)
2. Female flower with 2 tepals(sepals that look like petals)
3. Androecium zygomorphic (the collection of stamens are flat, not round in cross-section)
4. Stigma not kidney shaped (rather have two spiral arms, locules (seed chambers) 3

Other characteristics
male flower with 2 tepals
placenta bifid (forked)

Other section properties

With peltate leaves(the leaf umbo is not on the leaf margin)
conchifolia
conchifolia var. rubrimacula
fonsecae
kellermanii
manicata var. peltata
nelumbiifolia
peltata

With ascending rhizome (the rhizome rises up as it grows)
cardiocarpa
carolineifolia
crassicaulis
lindleyana
sericoneura

With palmately compound leaves (leaves consist of numerous leaflets)
carolineifolia
thiemei

With fimbriate collar at umbo (the leaf has a collar of hairs under the leaf at the stem attachement point)
heracleifolia
manicata
manicata var. aureo-maculata

Page 2 lists all species of Section Gireoudia.

bec: 10/19/04