The study, published in Nature Plants, rules out a previous popular hypothesis that it was to to deter predators. The flowers use their unusual leaves to harness what little light there is. There are around 2,000 species of begonia, but the biological function of the bright blue sheen has mystified scientists for decades.īut the researchers said the leaves only develop this sheen when put in almost dark conditions - and in bright light the sheen slowly disappears. The blue colour results from a super-efficient form of photosynthesis that allows them to use light other plants reject.
On September 10, 2020, when Dr Tian saw a huge begonia in full bloom during surveys in the county of Mêdog, he became 'instantly excited', and after checking its flowers, he was confident it represented a new speciesīegonias with striking blue leaves may represent a next step in plant evolution that puts them ahead of their ordinary green neighbours, researchers reported in 2016. The story behind the discovery goes back to 2019, when Dr Tian and colleagues initiated a field survey on wild begonias in Tibet, China. Since most begonias are small weeds, a begonia taller than a human is a very unusual sight, so the newly-discovered species is one of the few exceptions. With over 2,000 known species, begonia is one of the largest plant genera in the world.
To date, this plant is the tallest begonia recorded in the whole of Asia, but not the world, according to Dr Tian.Īnother species in South America – Begonia parviflora, which reaches up to 13 feet (4 metres) in height – is the world tallest, he told MailOnline. However, based on current data, it should be categorised as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.' 'Additional populations might be discovered when more surveys are conducted in China-India border region. 'The specific epithet refers to the huge (very tall and thick stem) plant size of the new species, which is the tallest begonia in Asia,' they say in the paper. The specimen was discovered in 2020 by Dr Daike Tian, a researcher at the Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr Tian has authored a paper on the new finding along with five other researchers.
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