Information on Begonia Plants

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Overview

Begonias are the majority part of the Begoniaceae family. There is only one other member, the Hillebrandia, a flowering plant that is one of the 10 biggest genera of angiosperm.

Classifications

The American Begonia Society has eight different classifications of begonia. These classifications are shrub like, tuberous, cane like, rhizomatous, rex, semperflorens, trailing-scandent and thick stemmed.

Description

It is an upright, stemmed plant with a winged-capsule fruit and large leaves. Flowers are usually white, yellow, pink or scarlet in color.

Growth

Begonias prefer to be in warm temperatures, bright shade (shade with some sun), and well-drained soil. Cultivars will grow and flower all year, except for the tuberous varieties. Semperflorens varieties can do well outdoors.

Propagation

Begonias can be propagated via stem cuttings or by division. Rhizomatous and rex classified begonias may be done by leaf cuttings as well.

Fun Fact

The Kimjongilia cultivar is named after North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il. Botanist Motoderu Kamo presented the leader with the flower on his 46th birthday in 1988.

References

Absolute Astronomy Begonia
Absolute Astronomy Kimjongilia

Keywords: begonia, Begoniaceae, Kimjongilia

About this Author

T.M. Samuels has been a freelance writer since 1993. She has published works in "Arthritis Today," "Alabama Living" and "Mature Years," and is the author of a gardening book. Samuels studied pre-medicine at Berry College.

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