170 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Begonia continued. 



alternate, more or less unequal-sided, entire, or lobed, or 

 toothed. Flower-stalka 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 aa such are now merged in Begonia viz., Barya, 

 Baryandra, Casparya, Pritzelia, Ac. The rich colours and 

 beautiful form of the flowers of Begonias, their prettily- 

 marked foliage, and free -growing, free-blossoming 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 

 oross-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. Rex 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, &o. 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 forma 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 largo enough to be placed singly in pots. 

 Cuttings t These strike freely if planted in small pots, 

 in sand an I leaf mould, and placed on a bottom heat of 

 70deg. 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 

 hould be selected, and incisions made with a sharp knife 

 across the principal nerves on the underside. They should 

 then be placed on the sand or fibre and held down by 

 means of a few pieces of crock. Under this treatment, 

 bulbils will form on the lower ends of the nerves of each 

 eotion 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 

 Bmnmer 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 

 species, such as B. Dregei, B. semperflorens, B. nitida, B. 

 fucheioides, B. Lindltyana, B. Richardsiana, along with 

 the hybrids Ascutensis, Knowsleycma, Weltoniensis, and 

 Ingramii, are grown in pots out of doors all the summer, 



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 Rex 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. Largo 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 distinctly 

 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. rosceflora, 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 j T, tuberous-rooted; S, 

 shrubby. 



B. aoerlfollft (Acer-leaved). S. A tall-growing, thick, succulent- 

 stemmed species, with green. lobed, serrated foliage, and large 

 branching cymes of small white flowers ; sepals of male flowers 

 hairy ; styles three, two-horned. Capsule triangular, with one of 

 the angles prolonged into an obtuse wing. Spring. Quito, 1829. 



ated-leaved). S. A low shrubby species, 

 long, pointed leaves, with toothed margins, 

 nerves on the under side and the petiole pilose, jl. 

 white, In cymes, nearly lin. across. Capsule wings, two short, 

 the third Jin. long. Spring. Jamaica, 1798. (B. M. 4025.) 



B. acutiiolia (acute-leaved). S. A smooth-stemmed, semi-erect 

 species, 3ft. to 4ft. high, with cordate-oblong leaves, both sides 

 and petiole glabrous, the margins denticulate, fl. in cymes, white 

 and red, about lin. in diameter. Capsule winged, one wing twice 

 as long as the others. Spring. Jamaica, 1816. SVN. B. purpurea. 



B. acutiloba (acute-lobed).* A species with thick fleshy rhi- 

 zomes, and palmate cordate leaves which are divided into five to 

 seven lobes, with toothed margins and pointed apices, under side 

 thinly covered with brown hairs. Flower-stalk tall, hairy, sur- 

 mounted by a branching head of rather large white flowers. 

 Summer. Mexico. 



B. albo-ooccinea (white and red).* Stemless, with a thick root- 

 stock. I. broadly ovate, peltate, entire, Sin. to 4in. long ; petiole 

 Sin. to .6in., pubescent. Flower-scape 6in. to 9in. long. jL in dense 

 cluster, bright rose on the outside, white within. Capsule regu- 

 er. India, 1844. SYN. 



larly triangular, with short wings. 



B. Grahamiana. (B. M. 4172.) 



. alohemllloldM (Alchemilla-like). Stem fleshy, creeping. I. 



rotundate, with toothed, undulate, ciliated margins and abort 



