148 



BEGONIA 



BEGONIA 



microphylla, Willd. Is B. foliosa, No. 14. 



minidta, Planch. & Linden. Is B. fuchsioides, No. 13. 



62. Madam de Lesseps. Fig. 212. Strong, erect grower : Ivs. 

 acutely lobed, large, margins serrate, green above, red and 

 strongly veined below : fls. large, white, in axillary clusters, 

 males insignificant. 



63. nelumbii folia, Cham. & Schl. (B. hernandiaefolia, Hort.). 

 St. a short, thick rhizome : Ivs. large, 12-18 in. long, 8-12 in. 

 wide, peltate, hairy on the under side : fls. small, white or 

 rose-colored. Mex. 



Razzia, Regel. See B. Lyncheana, No. 61. 



64. B.PaulBruantCB. manicataXO) ). St. short, thick : Ivs. 

 large, olive-green tinged with red, deeply lobed : petioles large, 

 long, striped with red ; a ring of fine hairs at the junction of 

 petiole and leaf : fls. abundant, pale pink, large, on long 1 pe- 

 duncles. R.H. 1888. p. 544. Int. by Bruant in 1892. 



65. President Carnot. Fig. 213. Plant, 2-6 ft. high, leggy: Ivs. 

 ovate-lanceolate, acute-lobed, ribs on the under side red : fls. 

 in a large cluster ; males small, insignificant ; females large, 

 bright red-carmine, 2 in. long, including capsule. Striking. 



66. Sdndersoni, hybrid (origin not known. B. Digwelliana, 

 Hort.). Fls. scarlet. 1882. 



Sauli. See below B. Feastii, No. 53. 



67. stigmbsa, , Lindl. St. a short, creeping rhizome: Ivs. large, 

 cordate-acute, irregularly toothed, smooth above, hairy beneath , 

 green, with purple-brown blotches : fls. insignificant, white, in 

 cymose panicles. Mex. 



68. subpeltata nlgricans, Hort. (B. nigricans, Hort.). Plant, 

 2-3 ft. high : Ivs. ovate, acuminate, blood-red below, silvery and 

 slightly hairy above, 4-8 in. long, 2-4 in. across : fls. rose-pink, 

 profuse: capsule wings equal, pink. Very useful for decoration. 

 Var. Pres. de Boureuilles, Hort., has Ivs. of a much richer color, 

 and more profusely studded with red hairs : fls. of a deeper 

 pink. 



69. Sunderbruchi, Hort. An American form of B. heracleifolia, 

 ' var. longipila : Ivs. bronze-green, silver bands along the nerves, 



purple underneath. 



70. TMrstom,TLoTt. (B. metallicaXsanguinea). St. 2 ft. high: 

 Ivs. orbicular-acuminate, shiny, smooth, rich purple, red on the 

 tinder side, veins prominent : fls. insignificant, small, rosy 

 white, on slender peduncles. A.F. 7: 728, Excellent. 



velutina, Hort. See B. metallica, No. 10. 



214. Begonia Wettsteinii (X 



71. Wettsteinii, Hort. Fig. 214. St. a foot high, branching 

 from the base : Ivs. slightly lobed, elongated, ovate-acuminate: 

 fls. on long, slender, graceful peduncles, large, in clusters, 

 bright red : capsule large, red and showy, very profuse. 



zebrlna, Hort. See B. angularis, No. 41. 



II. SEMI-TUBEROUS OR SOCOTRAN SECTION. 



72. Socotrana, Hook. Fig. 215. St. annual, stout and 

 succulent, forming at the base a number of closely set 

 scales or suppressed Ivs. resembling bulbs : Ivs. dark 

 green, orbicular, peltate, 4-7 in. across, center depressed, 

 margin recurved, crenate : fls. in terminal few-fld. 

 cymes, bright rose. B.M. 6555. Gn. 21:327. Gri.49:1069. 

 G.C. II. 15:8. A.F. 13:587, 588. Semi-tubers were 

 brought from the burning hot, sandy island of Socotra 

 by Dr. I. B. Balfour, and given to Kew in 1880. The 

 plant was discovered by Alexander Scott, the gardener 

 accompanying the expedition to Socotra sent out by the 

 Geogr. Soc. of London. Semi-tubers should rest during 

 summer and be planted in heat in winter. 



The following are Socotrana derivatives : 



73. Triomphe de Lemoine (B.SocotranaXRcezlii). Stem her- 

 baceous, spreading, then erect and branching into numerous 

 flowering branches : Ivs. large, coriaceous, orbicular, somewhat 

 oblique, margins slightly cenerous, 6 in. diam.: fls. in dichoto- 

 naous cymes from axils of Ivs., rose-carmine, female fls. ex- 

 ceedingly rare, males very profuse, plant resembling a large 

 bouquet when in full bloom. G.F. 2:557. Int. by Lemoine in 

 1887. Retains its fls. after they are withered, a rare occurrence 

 in Begonias. Another hybrid from the same parent is Triomphe 

 de Nancy, with fls. rich yellow in the center, double, and the 

 outer petals of a paler hue. Int. bv Lemoine in 1888. 



74. John Heal (B. Socotrana X Viscountess Doneraile). A 

 tuberous variety. Plant intermediate between parents, 9 in. 

 high, branching naturally and freely: Ivs. obliquely heart- 

 shaped, not peltate, as in B. Socotrana; light green: fls. borne 

 loosely on graceful peduncles, standing well above the foliage, 

 every stem developing male flowers, 1% in. diam., bright, rosy 

 carmine. Blooms from Sept. to Jan. Gn. 35:691. No female 

 fls. have been produced from this hybrid, so that seedlings have 

 been impossible. Prop, by cuttings and semi-tubers. Int. by 

 John Heal in 1885. Adonis (John HealXtuberous variety). 

 Plant more robust : fls. twice as large as John Heal, 3 in. diam., 

 all male, soft rose color, on graceful, arching peduncles. Int. 

 by John Heal. Winter Gem (B. SocotranaXcrimson tuberous 

 variety). Habit like B. Socotrana, but more compact: fls. 

 large, deep carmine. It combines the characters of the tuber- 

 ous and semi-tuberous sections. Int. by John Heal. Julia 

 (SocotranaXtuberous variety). The plant is very similar to a 

 double slimmer-flowering tuberous Begonia. It has fls. of a 

 salmon-pink shade. 



75. Gloire de Lorraine (B. SocotranaXDregei) . Lvs. small, 

 nearly regular, pure green : fls. almost exclusively male, 4- 

 petaled, large, borne in broad panicles, covering the whole 

 superior part of the plant, rose-colored, not deciduous. Gt. 42, 

 p. 111. A.F. 12:842. G.F. 5:247. Although B. Socotrana is 

 semi-tuberous and B. Dregei has a thickened rhizome, the hy- 

 brid forms show neither, but the base of the stem throws out 

 many shoots, which can be separated and insure the multipli- 

 cation of the plant. Int. by Lemoine in 1892. Excellent. 



76. Gloire de Sceaux (B. SocotranaXsubpeltata). Fig. 216. 

 Plant stout, half shrubby, erect, vigorous, compact, 2 ft. high, 

 !-!> ft. across : Ivs. dark metallic green, thick, large, red be- 

 neath, veins red above, sub-orbicular, slightly oblique : fls. pro- 

 fuse, beautiful rose-pink, shiny, females none. Fls. from Dec 

 till May. R.H. 1884:516. G.F. 7:185. Interesting as connecting 

 the fibrous-rooted and semi-tuberous sections. Int. by'Thibaut 

 and Keteleer in 1885. Autumn Rose (B. Socotrana X insignia). 

 Lvs. intermediate between parents, but larger than either, 

 oblique; fls. intermediate, clear, deep rose. Fls. all winter. In- 

 teresting as connecting the fibrous-rooted and semi-tuberous 

 sections. Int. by John Heal, of Veitch & Sons, 1882. Bijou is 

 another hybrid from the same parents, with large green Ivs. 

 and red-carmine fls.; males and females present. 



III. TUBEROUS OR SUMMER-FLOWERING SECTION 

 (Figs. 217, 218, 219). 



A. Stemless, Ivs. springing directly from tuber. 



B. Color of fls. bright red or brilliant scarlet. 



77. Davisi, Veitch. Stemless : Ivs. springing directly 

 from a rootstock, ovate-cordate, shining green, slightly 

 hairy, underside red, petiole short, fleshy : peduncles, 

 pedicels, and fls. bright red. Peru. B.M. 6252. F.M. 

 1876: 231. G.C. II. 15: 669. -A favorite with hybridists. 

 Has given rise to numerous dwarf, erect-habited garden 

 forms, with small but brightly colored fls. 



78. Froebeli, A. DC. Stemless: Ivs. numerous, cordate, 

 acuminate, green, covered with fleshy, purplish hairs : 

 fls. in tall, lax, drooping, branching cymes, brilliant scar- 

 let, large. Winter. Ecuador. Gn. 12, p. 376. A beauti- 

 ful flowering plant, useful for conservatory work in 

 winter. B. Froebeli vernalis, Hort., hybrid (Froebeli x 

 Dregei), similar to type. Int. by Deleuil in 1880. 



