Begonia

A begonia from the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo in Brazil, also called scarlet begonia, whose name is attached to the angel wing begonias grown as houseplants: cane begonias with upright, jointed stems, wing-shaped leaves and drooping clusters of red, coral or pink flowers. Buy it knowing what the label means. Flora do Brasil warns that the name is often attached to a cultivar of Begonia maculata, while the wild species is a small shrubby plant that grows on trees more than 66 feet tall, and most plants sold as angel wing begonias are cane hybrids. Outside USDA zones 10 and warmer it lives indoors, in bright light out of direct sun, in humid air and in moist but well-drained soil. It is toxic to pets: the ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

Bolivian begonia is a tuberous begonia from the eastern Andes of Bolivia and northwest Argentina, where it grows in montane cloud forest, in rock crevices and on slopes near streams. From a tuberous rootstock it sends up stems about 12 to 18 inches tall with narrow, lance-shaped, toothed leaves and drooping scarlet to orange flowers of four pointed segments, carried in pairs or threes. The plant collector Richard Pearce brought it to Europe in 1864, and it became one of the wild parents of the tuberous begonias (Begonia × tuberhybrida); its own selections and hybrids, such as 'Bonfire' and the Million Kisses series, are sold today for hanging baskets and pots. It is frost-tender: it can stay outdoors all year only in frost-free gardens around zones 10 and 11, so elsewhere it is grown as a summer container or bedding plant, with the tuber lifted before the first frost and stored over winter, or the plant replaced each year.

A small rhizomatous begonia from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, grown as a houseplant for its heart-shaped, emerald-green leaves marked with chocolate brown and fringed with stiff bristles along the edges, the 'eyelashes' of its name. NC State Extension describes pinkish-white flowers held on stems above the leaves in spring. Like other rhizomatous begonias it grows from a thick stem that creeps along the soil surface and stores water and nutrients, and it wants bright shade, warmth and a mix that is moist but never soggy. Outside USDA zone 11 and warmer it lives indoors, on a shaded windowsill, in a pot or in a terrarium. Labels sometimes spell it Begonia boweri, a misspelling that is not an accepted name. It is toxic: the ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

A rhizomatous evergreen perennial from limestone slopes in southern China and northern Vietnam, grown as a houseplant for its puckered, bright green leaves, each marked in the centre with a dark chocolate-brown cross. NC State Extension says the marking resembles the Iron Cross on Crusader shields, and that the plant is named for L. Maurice Mason, who brought it from Singapore to England in 1952 and gave it its common name; Wikipedia says it was first described from cultivated plants of unknown origin and found in the wild only much later. It grows 12 to 18 inches tall and wide, NC State says, and is grown for its leaves rather than its small greenish-white flowers. Outside USDA zones 11 and warmer it lives indoors, in bright indirect light and humid air, and NC State says it will not survive outdoors below 55°F. It is toxic: NC State lists it as a problem for dogs, cats, horses and children, and the ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

A bushy, upright begonia from Bahia in northeastern Brazil, grown as a houseplant and under glass for its large, lopsided, lobed leaves: dark green with a metallic sheen, red on the veins and underside, and covered in fine white hairs. Large clusters of small, hairy pink flowers follow from summer into autumn. The RHS gives it 1.6 to 3.3 feet in height and recommends it for the conservatory, greenhouse and home. It wants bright, filtered light, steady warmth and humidity, and a mix that drains well, and outside USDA zone 10 and warmer it lives indoors. Several sources, among them NC State Extension, file it under Begonia incarnata, a Mexican species that the World Checklist of Vascular Plants keeps separate; the RHS lists Begonia incarnata 'Metallica' as a synonym. It is toxic: the ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

Pearce's begonia is a tuberous begonia from the Bolivian Andes, named for the plant collector Richard Pearce, who brought it to Europe in the mid-1860s; it has no settled English common name, so the one used here simply follows its botanical name. Grown for its leaves as much as its flowers, it forms a tuft of dark, velvety green leaves crossed by pale, straw-coloured veins and dark red beneath, with bright yellow flowers held above them, usually three to a slender stalk. It matters to gardeners as a parent of the tuberous begonias (Begonia × tuberhybrida): Wikipedia says every yellow-flowered tuberous hybrid descends from it. It is frost-tender, and a tuberous plant of seasonally dry tropical country, so outside frost-free gardens around zones 10 and 11 it is grown as a summer pot plant, with the tuber lifted before the first frost and kept dry and frost-free over winter.

A cane begonia from the Atlantic rainforest of southeast Brazil, grown as a houseplant for its long, wing-shaped, olive to dark green leaves spotted with silver above and red beneath, carried on upright stems jointed like bamboo. NC State Extension lists it among the cane-type begonias at 2 to 3 feet tall, with drooping clusters of white to pink flowers with small yellow centres, and Wikipedia explains that the silver spots are air trapped in the skin of the leaf. Flora do Brasil records it as endemic to Brazil. Outside USDA zones 10 and warmer it lives indoors, in bright light out of direct sun, in humid air and in moist but well-drained soil, since begonias rot when overwatered. It is toxic to pets: the ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and NC State Extension says the sap can irritate skin.

A rhizomatous evergreen perennial from the eastern Himalaya, grown as a houseplant for its large, patterned leaves. This record covers the species and the Rex Cultorum hybrids bred from it, which are nearly all of what is sold: NC State Extension treats Begonia rex and its many hybrids as one group, and Wikipedia says the species is in the parentage of over 500 Rex Cultorum cultivars, so most plants are sold as rex begonias or under a cultivar name. The RHS describes the wild species with metallic green leaves, a silvery zone above and reddish beneath; the hybrids, NC State says, come in green, red, pink, silver, gray, lavender and maroon with a somewhat metallic sheen, on a dense plant 12 to 18 inches tall. Outside USDA zones 10 and warmer it lives indoors, in bright indirect light, humid air and moist but never soggy soil, and NC State warns that it may be a challenge. It is toxic: the ASPCA lists rex begonia as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and NC State says the sap can irritate skin.

A winter-flowering hybrid begonia sold as a flowering pot plant under the names Rieger begonia and Elatior begonia, and also set out in summer containers and shady beds as an annual. GRIN Taxonomy gives its parents as Begonia socotrana, a winter-blooming begonia from the island of Socotra, and the tuberous begonias (Begonia × tuberhybrida). The RHS describes a bushy, evergreen plant up to 12 inches tall with glossy green leaves and red, yellow, pink, orange or white flowers, usually double, that blooms through the year indoors and in summer and fall outdoors. It is frost-tender, so it lives indoors except in USDA zones 11b and warmer, and the RHS notes that most plants are discarded after flowering. The ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

The showiest summer begonias: a group of hybrids bred from several Andean begonia species and grown from tubers for large single or double flowers in red, orange, yellow, pink, salmon and white, in upright forms for pots and beds and trailing forms for hanging baskets. It is a shade plant: UF/IFAS Extension says it grows in partial shade, not deep shade or full sun, and University of Minnesota Extension uses it to brighten shady spots where few other long-blooming plants grow. It is frost-tender and goes dormant every winter, so outside USDA zones 10 and 11 it is a summer container and bedding plant, grown as an annual or with its tubers lifted before frost and stored. The ASPCA lists begonias as toxic to dogs, cats and horses and says the underground parts are the most toxic.

A tender perennial grown almost everywhere as a warm-season bedding annual, prized for blooming reliably from June to frost in white, pink, red, and bicolor. Its thick, waxy dark-green-to-bronze leaves minimize water loss, giving it real tolerance for hot, humid summers. Compact and mounding at 6 to 12 inches, it is a workhorse edger and container filler in sun-dappled part shade.