474 



BEC.OMA 



hairy: st. erect :it first, lull ilroopinsi ami hd'oiiiiiis sli-n- 

 der with iipe. 2-3 ft. \nf.\\. lirancliiiiK: Ivs. lam-oolatc to 

 ovatt^lancctilat<\ aoiuuiliato, .-icrrate, '.i-ii iu. lonjj;: fl.s. in 

 drtxiping panicles, cinnabar-scarlet, long ami fmhsia- 

 like; males twice jis long sw females. Holivia. H.M. 

 5(>o7.— Intro, into England in ISCl. It is a very useful 

 basket-pliUtt. This species has recently been crossed 

 with some of the double and single garden forms of 

 the tuberous race (of which this species was one 

 of the ancestors! . and has given rise to a jiretty and 

 distinct tvpc with long pendulous sts. and droojjing 

 fjs. which' ivnder them most useful ;is subjects for 

 baskets. B. Bertinii, Ilort., is closely allied, and per- 

 hai>s a form of li. holirinixis. FIs. light scarlet, numer- 

 ous and krge, not so pendent. C!t. .51, p..").")0, desc. R.H. 

 1S94, p. 247. There is a dwarf form (var. ik'dki) of this. 

 B. Worthiana, Hort., .said to be a seedling of B. holivi- 

 aisif. with larger and shorter Ivs. and more numerous 

 and less pendent fls. B. bolidavis, Ilort., is a hybrid of 

 B. Darhii and B. bolivirnsis. 



12. Sutherlandii, Hook. Slender and graceful, 1-2 

 ft. high, bright vinous red, from .small tubers: Ivs. 4-6 

 in. long, lanceolate, lobed and serrated, green, with red 

 veins and niargin; petioles slender, red: fls. numerous, 

 coppery or sahnon-red. \atal. B.M. .50S9.— Intro, by 

 Backhouse in 1807. Of little decorative value. 



BB. Lvs. broad-oviite to cordate-ovule. 



13. Pearcei, Hook. Pubescent, branching, 1 ft. 

 high: lvs. oblique-ovale, cordate, acuminate, 

 toothe<l, glabrous and velvety green above, tomen- 

 to.se beneath, pale red on under .surface: fls. in 

 loo.se, axillarv panicles, large, bright yellow. Boli- 

 via; intro. from La Paz, being sent by Mr. Pearce, 

 collector for Messrs. Veitch. B.M. 554.').— A vari- Sio. 

 able plant, both in habit, size, color of the fls. 

 and in the degree of the venation of the strongly 

 m-rved lvs. It is the only ycllow-fld. tuberous begonia 

 in cult. It has been the "chief factor in the production 

 of the hundreds of yellow, buff and orange-colored 

 garden forms. Intro, in IStio. 



14. Clarkei, Hook. Stout and erect, 2 ft., puberu- 

 lent, the st. purplish, fleshy: lvs. obliquely cordate- 

 ovate, serrate: fls. in pendulous racemes, abundant. 





Begonia tuberhybrida. Single-flowered (X!4)- 

 No. 21. 



S09. Begonia Dregei ( X K). No. 17. 



BEGONIA 



large, bright red. Bolivia, 9,000-10,000 ft. B.M. 

 51)63 (as ti. Veilchii), 5075. — Resembles B. Veitchii. It 

 was the seed parent of Vesuvius and Emperor, two im- 

 portant and useful varieties for bedding out. Probably 



not now in cult. 

 15. Evansiana, 

 Andr. {B. dU- 

 color, R. Br. B. 

 grdndis, Dry.). 

 Smooth: st. de- 

 ciduous, branch- 

 ing, 2 ft. high: lvs, 

 ovate-acute, sub- 

 cordate, lobed, 

 margins denticu- 

 late, green above, 

 under side and 

 petioles red, pe- 

 duncles branch- 

 ing, axillary: fls. 

 numerous, flesh- 

 colored, large. 

 Java, China, 

 Japan. B. M. 

 1473. — A hand- 

 some and almost 

 hardy species. 

 Intro, in 1804 to 

 Kew. Little cult. 

 now. It makes a 

 pretty and free- 

 flowering plant 

 for the cool 

 greenhouse in 

 summer. Readily 

 prop, by bulblets, 

 which are produced in quantities in the axils of the 

 lvs. after flowering, and which will give flowering plants 

 the following year. Stands some frost. 



16. gracilis, HBK. [B. blcolor, Wats. B. diversi- 

 folia, R. Grab.). Smooth and shining, tall and st. 

 erect, seldom branched, succulent: lvs. thinly scattered 

 along sts., abnost heart-shaped, slightly hairy, lobed, 

 denticulate, ciliate: fls. on short, axillary peduncles, 

 pink. Mex. B.M. 2966.— In axils of lvs. between 

 stipules a cluster of bulblets is borne. The.se may be 

 gathered and sown as seeds. Along with its varieties, 

 annulata, diversif61ia, Martiana, and others, it makes 

 a very l)eautiful svnnmer-flowcring greenhouse begonia. 

 — Intro, by P. Neill, of Cannonniills, Edinburgh, in 

 1829. This species should be treated in exactly the 

 same way as the garden race of tuberous begonias as 

 to cult. The variety Martiana is a large-fld. form with 

 ro.se-colored fls. and frequently reaches 5 ft. in height. 

 It is a pretty and desirable greenhouse plant, producing 

 a succession of fls. for 2-3 months during the summer. 



17. Dregei, Otto & Dietr. (B. cdfra, Meisn. B. 

 parvifijlia, tirah. B. renif&rims, Hort.). Glabrous: sts. 

 succulent, annual, 1-3 ft. high: from a rootstalk a 

 fleshy irregular tuber: lvs. thin, small, oblique-ovate, 

 green, deeply serrated, reddish on the under side: fls. 

 white, small, profuse. Cape of Good Hope. B.M. 3720. 

 — Received at Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh in 1836 

 from Berlin. A useful free-flowering greenhouse plant. 



18. weltoniensis, Hort. (B. Sutherlandii x B. Dregei). 

 St. reddish, 1-3 ft. high: lvs. Ught green, smooth, ovate- 

 acuminate, lobed, dentate, lJ-^-2 in. acro.ss; petiole red, 

 1-114 in. long: fls. |)ink, profuse, on short peduncles.— - 

 Frequently met with in cottagers' windows in Elngland; 

 of very easy cult. Intro, by Major Clark, of Welton 

 Park, England. Var. alba, Hort., has white fls. 



19. fijlgens, Lemoine. Stout: st. short: lvs. large- 

 reniform to cordate-ovate, more or less oblique, irregu- 

 larly sinuate-toothed, sparsely hairy above and beneath, 

 dull dark green above and reddish on the under side: 



