Begonia abbottii

Urban's protologue provides the original diagnosis:

Caulis erectus, ramosus. Stipulae ovatae, acuminatae. Folia petiolata, petiolis 7–10 mm longis; lamina ovato-elliptica vel ovato-lanceolata, margine inaequaliter crenata. Inflorescentiae floribus albis purpureo-rubricantibus mense Maio–Junio. Translated:

Shrub with erect, branching stems. Stipules ovate and acuminate. Leaves borne on petioles 7–10 mm long; blades ovate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, with irregularly crenate margins. Inflorescences in May–June, with white flowers tinged with purplish red. These characters distinguish B. abbottii from related Hispaniolan species such as B. domingensis.

Begonia abbottii is endemic to Haiti, with records restricted to the Furcy area of the La Selle Mountains. It grows near springs and shaded mountain slopes. The species has not been recorded in cultivation and does not appear in the collections of major botanical gardens.

The specific epithet, abbottii, commemorates William Louis Abbott (1860–1936), whose expeditions in Hispaniola supported the Smithsonian's collections and during which the type material was gathered. The generic name Begonia was coined in 1690 by French botanist Charles Plumier in honor of Michel Bégon (1638–1710), then governor of Haiti and patron of botany. With more than 1,900 accepted species, Begonia is one of the largest genera of flowering plants, distributed pantropically.