Habitat and large-sized plant of Begonia giganticaulis: (A) habitat showing plants (arrows indicate) growing along stream bank; (B) flowering plant growing along slope of valley; (C) one of the tallest individuals with Professor Dai-Ke Tian. Image credit: Dai-Ke Tian / Shi-Wei Guo / Qing-Gong Mao.

Habitat and large-sized plant of Begonia giganticaulis: (A) habitat showing plants (arrows indicate) growing along stream bank; (B) flowering plant growing along slope of valley; (C) one of the tallest individuals with Professor Dai-Ke Tian. Image credit: Dai-Ke Tian / Shi-Wei Guo / Qing-Gong Mao.

The large stem of Begonia giganticaulis. The new species, Begonia giganticaulis, was named because of its nearly 4-meter height, the tallest Begonia species in Asia. The species live near streams or forest slopes at 800 meters to 1,350 meters in altitude. Although the population is growing, it is temporarily regarded as endangered due to its few scattered distribution spots and few individuals. Photo by Daike Tian.