170 THE DICTIONARY 
OF GARDENING, 
Begonia—continued. 
alternate, more or less unequal-sided, entire, or lobed, or 
toothed. Flower-stalks axillary, cymose. Distribution: 
Species about 350, in all tropical moist countries, especially 
South America and India; not known in Australia. Cul- 
tivated species (exclusive of garden hybrids and varieties) 
about 150. A large number of genera, or what were con- 
sidered as such are now merged in Begonia—viz., Barya, 
Baryandra, Casparya, Pritzelia, &c. The rich colours and 
beautiful form of the flowers of Begonias, their prettily- 
marked foliage, and free-growing, free-blooming nature, 
have long marked them out as favourite garden plants. 
Within the last twenty years a new race, characterised 
by a tuberous root-stock, annual herbaceous stem, and 
large handsome flowers, has been introduced from the 
Andes of South America, from which, by means of careful 
cross-fertilisation and selection, a large number of beau- 
tiful and almost hardy kinds have been raised. The size, 
- substance, and rich colours of the flowers of the majority 
of the plants of this race of Begonias are witness to 
what may be done by skilful cultivation and careful cross- 
breeding among plants. In the same way the large-leaved, 
stemless section, of which B. Rew may be taken as the 
type and principal progenitor, have been improved both 
in the size and the coloration of their foliage, and count- 
less forms are now in cultivation, both as garden plants 
and for the decoration of rooms, &c. The propagation 
of Begonias may be accomplished by means of seeds, which 
are freely produced by almost all the cultivated kinds, 
by cuttings, by division of the rhizomes, and—in the case 
of the large-leaved kinds—by leaf-cuttings. For the first 
of these methods it is necessary that the seeds should be 
well ripened before they are gathered, and kept dry until 
sown. Where it is desired to increase any particular 
kind of garden origin, seeds are useless, none of the 
hybrid or seedling forms perpetuating themselves through 
their seeds, although equally beautiful sorts may be raised 
from them. The characters of all true species are, how- 
ever, reproduced in their seedlings. For the successful 
raising of Begonia seeds it is necessary to sow them on 
pans or pots of well-drained, light, sandy soil, which should 
be well watered before the seeds are sown. The seeds 
should not be covered with soil, or they will fail to germi- 
nate. Over the pans a pane of glass should be placed, and 
they should then be stood in warm house or a frame where 
a temperature of about 65deg. can be maintained, and 
shaded from sunshine. As soon as the plantlets are large 
enough to be safely manipulated, they should be pricked 
off into pans of light leaf-mould soil, in which they may 
remain until large enough to be placed singly in pots. } 
ings: These strike freely if planted in small pots, - 
in sand and leaf mould, and placed on a bottom heat of 
0deg. Where large quantities are required, a bed of 
= cocoa nut-fibre in a stove or propagating frame may be 
used, and in this the cuttings may be planted and remain 
until well rooted. Leaf cuttings succeed best when laid 
on sand or cocoa-nut fibre, and shaded from bright sun- 
light. In preparing the leaves, old, well-matured ones 
should be selected, and incisions made with a sharp knife 
across the principal nerves on the underside. They should 
placed on»the sand or fibre and held down by 
pieces of crock. Under this treatment, 
bulbils will form on the | ends of the nerves of each 
section of the leaf, and these, when large enough, may be 
removed from the bed and potted. With the exception of 
B. Evansiana (discolor), an almost hardy species from North 
China, all the shrubby species require a warm or inter- 
_ mediate house for their cultivation, although during the 
summer months a frame or sheltered bed answers for most 
of them, provided they are removed into their warm winter 
quarters on the approach of cold weather. Some of the 
es 
“B. 
Begonia—continued. 
and under liberal treatment they form large handsome 
specimens, which are of great value as flowering plants 
for the conservatory in winter. The tuberous-rooted her- 
baceous kinds should be started in heat in February, 
and, when vigorous growth has commenced, be gradually 
hardened off, for use either as bedding plants or as pot 
specimens for flowering in the greenhouse. A mixture of 
loam and leaf mould with a little sand and rotten cow- 
dung is suitable for the cultivation of these plants in pots. 
Liberal supplies of water should be given during the grow- 
ing season. As the growth decays, water should be with- 
held until finally the tubers may be shaken out of the soil 
and placed in dry sand or cocoa-nut fibre, in a house or 
shed where a temperature above freezing can be main- 
tained. B. gracilis and its varieties, diversifolia and 
Martiana, are beautiful greenhouse plants, which thrive 
well if treated as advised for the other tuberous-rooted 
kinds, with the addition of a few more degrees of heat. 
The Rew section requires a light rich soil, plenty of 
moisture, and a shaded position in a warm greenhouse. 
These kinds are often employed with good effect for 
clothing peat-covered walls in ferneries, or as an under- 
growth in large tropical houses. Large specimens have 
been grown under the stage in a warm house, the shade 
and moisture of such a position being exactly what they 
best delight in. 
B. socotrana, an interesting species from the island of 
Socotra, is somewhat singular in its requirements. The 
stem is herbaceous and annual, and about its base a cluster 
of bulbils are formed, from every one of which a plant 
will be developed the following year. The growing season 
for this species is from September to March, after which 
it goes to rest for the whole summer. A tropical tem- 
perature and all the light possible, are essential to the 
well-doing of this plant. = = 
It is interesting to note the apparent impossibility to 
cross any of the shrubby Begonias with the inctly — 
tuberous - rooted species; and even the species of the 
shrubby section, whose stems are semi-tuberous, have 
hitherto refused to commingle with the South American 
tuberous kinds, of which B. Veitchii, B. roseflora, and 
B. boliviensis may be said to be typical. The infusion 
of the blood of these large, handsome -flowered kinds 
into the tall, shrubby species, would almost certainly 
result in the production of a race of splendid winter- 
flowering greenhouse plants, and it is therefore in every 
way desirable that no pains should be spared to break 
= 
. through the obstacle to the union of the two races. 
> Explanation of contractions: T, tuberous-rooted; $, 
| shrubby. 
_ B. acerifolia (Acer-leaved). S. 
stemmed species, with green, lobed, serrated 
branching cymes of small white flowers ; 
iry ; styles three, two-horned. Capsule tri 
the isles prolonged into an obtuse wing. Spring 
taper-pointed-lea S. Aloe shrubb; 
æ having semi-cor oblong, ; 
oe ee 
white, cymes, nearly 
the third Jin. long. Spring. Jamaica, I : 
(acute-leaved), S. A smooth-stemmed, semi-erect 
ae acute-lobed).* A species with thick fleshy rhi- 
be iais e a leaves which are divided into five to 
d 
seven ees. with toothed margins and pointed apices, under side 
thinl vered with brown hairs. Flower-stalk tall, hairy, sur- 
mran Sa by a branching head of rather large white flowers, 
B. albo-coccinea (white and red).* Stemless, with a thick root- 
stock. l. broadly ovate, te, entire, 3in. to 4in. es petiole 
šin. to t. wer-scape bin. to 9in. Jong. in dense 
cluster, t rose on the outside, white wi ory regu- 
] with short wings. Summer. India, SYN. 
B. an (B. M. 4172.) 
rotundate, 
Hiii 
