482 



BEGONIA 



BEGONIA 



100. ulmifdlia, HBK. (Dondldia ulmifdlia, Klotzsch). 

 Tall, green, the st. 4-angled and grooved, shedding its 

 hairy scurf: Ivs. small and elm-like (whence the name), 

 thinly hairy, green on both sides: fls. white, small. 

 Colombia. Gt. 1854:93. Very free-flowering when 

 grown large, the fls. appearing in winter and early 

 spring. 



526. Begonia nitida ( X H). 

 No. 104. 



101. longipes, Hook. Tall and stout (3 ft. or more), 

 the st. furrowed and more or less glandular but other- 

 wise the plant green, smooth and shining: Ivs. ample, 

 reniform or nearly orbicular, oblique or lop-sided, glossy, 

 serrate: fls. small, white, numerous in a long-stalked 

 cluster, winter-blooming. Trop. Amer. B.M. 3001. 

 In some forms, the peduncles are excessively long. 



102. undulata, Schott. Plant green and shining, 

 although somewhat hairy when young: Ivs. 2-ranged, 

 oblong, very short-stalked, acuminate, wavy or undu- 

 late on the margins: fls. rather small, white, in short 

 axillary clusters, the pistillate ones long. Brazil. B.M. 

 2723. 



103. kewensis, Hort. Like B. undulata: slender, with 

 spreading or drooping leafy branches: Ivs. ovate to 

 cordate-ovate about 6 in. long, smooth and shining, 

 green: fls. many, in large clusters, small, white or 

 slightly cream-colored, J^in. across. Of garden origin. 

 There is a hybrid between this and B. coccinea. A good 

 basket plant. 



FF. Fls. colored. 



.104. nitida, Dry. (B. minor, Jacq. B. specidsa, Hort. 

 B. obViqua, L'Her.). Fig. 526. Smooth: st. 3-4 ft. high, 

 perennial, fleshy, woody at the base when old: Ivs. 

 obliquely ovate, wavy, 4-6 in. across, glossy dark green: 

 fls. on long, axillary peduncles, pale pink, with a sil- 

 very blush; males 1J^ in. across, with 2 broad and 2 

 narrow petals; females smaller, with 5 equal petals. 

 Jamaica. B.M. 4046. A.G. 24:575. Gt. 2 : 192. A very 

 useful plant in the greenhouse, flowering all winter. 

 Also interesting on account of being probably the 

 first begonia intro. to cult, in Eu. (1777, at Kew, by 

 Wm. Brown). Var. odorata alba is a very handsome 

 variety of this species, which has smaller fls. of the 

 purest white and sweet-scented. Dr. Nachtigal (B. 

 nitida var. odorata alba x B. Lyncheana), is similar in 

 general form to the latter, but has fls. of a delicate 

 rose-pink, especially on the inner surface of petals. 



105. Teftscheri, Lind. Stout: st. 2-6 ft. high, 

 erect, strong grower: Ivs. large, oblique, fleshy, acutely 

 lobed, ovate-lanceolate, margins serrate, bright green 

 above, with large grayish blotches or in one form with 

 dots, red and strongly veined beneath: fls. in axillary 

 clusters, bright red, large. Malaya. I.H. 26:358. 



106. Bismarckii, Veitch. Lvs. large and lobed, 

 oblique, acuminate-pointed, 6 in. long: fls. in drooping 

 clusters, satiny rose, males insignificant, females 1 j 2 

 in. across and making a gorgeous display. -Very similar 

 to B. Teuscheri. 



107. carminata, Veitch. A handsome hybrid, tlie 

 result of a cross between B. coccinea and B. Dregei: 

 plant erect or nearly so, branching freely: st. green. 

 shining: Ivs. obliquely ovate-acuminate, deeply toothed, 

 light green: fls. rosy scarlet in large pendulous e.yine-,. - 

 The male fls. do not remain on the plant loiifj, the 

 main feature being the large bright rosy scarlet female 

 fls. and their brightly colored ovaries which remain on 

 the plant for a considerable period. In this respect it 

 greatly resembles its parent, B. coccinea. It is a very 

 fine greenhouse plant and should be in every collection. 



108. polyantha, Hort. Sts. green, red at the nodes, 

 erect, free-branching: Ivs. elliptic, rich green, glabrous 

 or nearly so; petioles reddish green, 2-3 in. long: infl. 

 numerous, 10-20-fld.; fls. pink, 5-^-1 in. diam. Mex. 

 A strong-growing species of quick growth and produc- 

 ing a mass of charming fls. all over the plant in winter 

 and early spring. One of the finest and best of the win- 

 ter-flowering begonias. The plants often supplied as. 

 B. nalalensis are said to be this species. 



109. coccinea, Hook. (B. riibra, Hort. B. mnrulata 

 var. corallina, Hort.). Fig. 527. Smooth: sts. tall, .suc- 

 culent: Ivs. on short petioles, obliquely oblong, angular, 

 with wavy red margins, 4-6 in. long: fls. deep coral-red; 

 males ^in. across, with 4 unequal petals; females more 

 attractive, owing to the length and rich color of the 



527. Begonia coccinea ( X H). No. 109. 



ovary, which has 3 small subequal wings. Brazil. B.M. 

 3990. The fls. are very persistent and exceedingly 

 ornamental, especially when planted out. Thrives 

 well in a warm airy greenhouse. One of the most 

 attractive and best-known members of the genus. It 

 has been largely used by the hybridist, the well-known 



