BEG 



EfTer.t. Char. Male. Ca!. none. Cor. many-pctalltd. SLim. 

 nuir.cious. Female. Cal. r.onc. Cor, many-petal'.ed, fu- 

 perior. Cap/, winged, many-feeded. 



Species, I. B. iiiiida. Di^and. in Linn. Tranf. i. lyg. 

 Ait. Hort. Keiv. 3. 352. B. obliqua, L'Herit. Stirp. Nov. 

 I. 95. t.46. B. minor, Jacq. Colkft. 1. 128. n. 3. B. 

 purpurea, Swartz. Prodr. 86. " Shrubby, erc£l ; leavts very 

 finooth, unequally cordate, cbfcurcly tijothed ; largefl wing 

 of the capl'ule roundifli." This elegant flirub, which is 

 now a common ornament to our hot-houfes, was introd;:ced 

 herein 1777 by William Brown, M. D. A native of Ja- 

 maica ; flowering here from May to December. - 2. B. i/o- 

 plcra. Dryand. iibi fupra. Smith ic. ined. 2. t. 43. " Cau- 

 lefcent ; leaves fmooth, femicordate, obfcurely toothed ; 

 wings of the capfule almoil equal, parallel." A native of 

 Java, where it was cbferved by Thouin. 3. B. rcniform'ts. 

 Dryand. " Caulefcent ; leaves kidney-fiiaped, angular, 

 toothed ; the largeft wing of the capfule acute-angled, the 

 others parallel, very fm.all." A native of Brafil, near Rio 

 de Janeiro, in fliady clcfls of rocks ; obferved there by fir 

 Jofeph Banks. 4. B. cnnhna. Dryander. L'Herit. Stirp. 

 Nov. I. 97. t. 47. " Caulefcent; leaves cordate, acumi- 

 nate,- ferrate, the largeft wing of the capfule fickle-fhaped, 

 the reft obliterated." A native of Madagafcar, on ftones 

 and rocks by brooks, collefled there by J. G. Bruguitre, 

 M. D. who confidets the appendices to the leaves, refembl- 

 ing the galls on lime-tree leaves, or the tails in ermine, as be- 

 longing to the leaves themfelves, and not occafioned by 

 punctures of infctls. 5. B. crniata. Dryander. " Caulef- 

 cent ; leaves unequally cordate, roundilh, obtufe, crenate- 

 toothed ; capfules two-celled. A native of the Eaft Indies, 

 in the iiland Salfette, and near fort Viftor)-, on walls and 

 rocks. Found there by Ant. Pantaleon Hove. 6. B. lenui- 

 folia. Dryander. " Caulefcent ; leaves unequally cordate, 

 ovate, acute-angular, obfcurely toothed ; capfules two- 

 celled." A native of Pulo Pontangh, or Prince's ifland, 

 near Java. Found there by fir Jofeph Banks. 7. B. fur- 

 ruginea. Dryander. Smith. Linn. Supp. 419. Lamarck En- 

 cycl. I. 395. n.9. Jacq. Coll. i. 128. n. i. "Caulrfccnt; 

 leaves unequally cordate, toothed ; petals of the male flow- 

 er oblong, nearly equal." Diftinguiflied from the other 

 fpecics hitherto known by the long and narrow petals of the 

 male flowers, all of the fame breadth, and very little differ- 

 ing in length. Gathered in New Canada by Mutis. 8. B. 

 "randis. Dryander. B. obliqua. Thuub. Jap. 231. Ksempf. 

 ic. feleft. t. 20. Sjukaido. ij^empf. Amocn. 888. "Caulef- 

 cent ; leaves unequally cordate, angular, ferrate ; wings of 

 the capfule a little unequal." This and the next fpecies 

 have by far the largeft leaves of any in the genus ; but in 

 this the flowers are twice as large as in macrophylla. A na- 

 tive of Japan. 9. Y>. macrophylla. Diyander. Lamsrck En- 

 cycl. I. 394. n. 6. B. grandtfolia. Jacq. Collect.-^ i . 128. 

 n. 2. B. purpurea et nivea maxima, folio aurito. Plum. ic. 

 34. t. 45. f. I. " Two feet high, entirely fmooth; female 

 flowers dve-petalled." A native of the ifiands in the Weft 

 Indies. 10. Tj. acut'ifolia. Dr)'ander. Jacq. Colleft. !. 128. 

 n. 4. Sloan. Jam. t. 127. f. i, 2. " Caulefcent ; leaves fe- 

 micordate, angular, toothed ; the largeft wing of the cap- 

 fule obtufe-angled, the others acute-angled." A native of 

 Jamaica, obferved there by fir H. Sloane, and fince by Maf- 

 ion. II. Z. acuminata. Dryander. "Caulefcent; leaves 

 hifpid, femicordate, acuminate, unequally toothed ; the 

 largeft wing of the capfule obtufe-angled ; the others acute- 

 angled. A native of Jamaica, on the blue mountains ; 

 uitroduced into Kew garden in 1790. 12. B. liumilis. 

 Dryander. Ait. Ho;-t. Kew, " Caulefcent, upright ; leaves 

 hifpid, femicordate, doubly ferrate ; wings of the capfule 

 louiidtd, a little unequal.'* A native of the ifland of 



BEG 



Trinidad in the Eaft Indies ; found there by Alex. A'nJer. 

 fon. SuppafcX on its firft introduction to Mr. Lee's garden 

 at Hammerfmith, in 1788, to be annua!; it was then very- 

 low, and was called humilis ; but it has fince ftnod over the 

 wi-ter, and grown much taller. 13. B. hirfuta- Dryander. 

 Aubl. Guian. 913. t. 34S. Lamarck. Encycl. i. 393. n. 3.. 

 Jacq. Collect, i. 129. n.8. -<' Caulefcent; leaves' hifpid, 

 femicordate, doubly ferrate ; the largeft wing of the capftde 

 obtufe-angled, the others parallel and vcr)' fn^all." Ob- 

 ferved by M. F. Aublet, on the rocks of Guiana, t^j;. B,. 

 urUci:. Dryander. Linn. Supp. 420. Lamarck Encycl. 

 I. 394. n.8. Jacq. CoUeft. I. 129. n. 7. B. urticn:fulia. 

 Smith, ic. ined. 2. t. ^5. "Caulefcent, radicant ; leaves 

 hifpid on both fides, unequally ovate, doubly ferrate ; cap- 

 fules three-hori.ed at thebafe." Gathered by Muiis in New- 

 Granada. 15. Y}.fcan:le!ts. Dryander. Sw'aitz. Prodr. 86. 

 B. glabra. Aubl. G'lian. 916. Lamarck Encycl. i. 394. 

 n.4. Jacq. Collect, i. 129. n. 5. " Scandcnt; ra-ixant ; 

 leaves ovate-roundiili, obfcurely toothed ; the largeft win" 

 of the capfule obtufe-angled, the others parallel and vcrv 

 fmall." Perennial : a native of Guiana, the ifle of France, 

 and Jamaica. 16. B. tuLcrofa. Dryander. Lamarck Encycl. 

 Empetrum acetofum. Rumph. Amb. 5, 457. t. 169. f. 2, 

 " Creeping ; leaves unequally cordate, angular, toothed ;. 

 wings of the capfule parallel." A native of Amboina. the 

 Molucca ifiands, and Celebes. 17. B. roluntlifolia. Dry- 

 ander. Lamarck. B. obliqua Linn. Spec. 1498. B. rofeo 

 flore, folio oibiculari. Tournef. Inft. 660. Plum. Cat. Amer.. 

 20. ic. 33. t. 45. " Creeping ; leaves reniform,^ roundilh, 

 crenate." A nati->e of South America, on rocks and trees; 

 found there by Plumier. 18. B. nana. Dryander. L'He- 

 rit. Stirp. Nov. I. 99. t.48. " Stemlefs ; leaves lanceolate ; 

 fcape with about two flowers." A native of Madagafcar, 

 on rocks and trunks of trees ; found by Bruguiere. 19. 

 B. tenera. Dryander. Falkea tenera. Koenig. " Stemlefs ; 

 leaves unequally cordate ; flowers umbelled." A native of 

 Ceylon, found there by Koenig. 20. B. d'lplera. Dryander. 

 B. capenfis. Linn. Supp. 420. Jacq. CoD. i. 130. n.9. 

 Linn. Mant. 502. "Stemlefs; leaves unequally cordate;, 

 peduncles dichotomous ; one wing of the capfule very large, 

 another narrow, and the third obfcure." A native of the 

 ifland of Joanna, in fliady places, by the fides of mountains J 

 found there by Koenig. 21. Y>. cclopetala. Drj-ander. L'' 

 Heril. Stirp.Nov. I. 101. " Stemlefs ; leaves cordate, five- 

 lobed; peduncles dichotomous." Fon:id on the mountains, 

 of Lima by Dombey, who fent the feeds to the Paris gar- 

 den, where it has grown fome years, but not flowered. 

 22. B. malalar'ica. Dryander. Lamarck. Jacq. Colleft,, 

 Rheed. Malab. 9. 167. t. 86. "Stems herbaceous; pe-' 

 duncles axillary, fliort, fubtriflorous ; fruits berried." A 

 native of Malabar. 23. B. repcns. Dryander. Lamarck. 

 B. obliqua y. Linn. Spec. 1498. Plum. Amer. 20. 10.34.. 

 t. 45. f. 2. " Stems creeping, rooting at the joints ; leave.<^. 

 one-eared ; peduncles axillar)-, long, many-flowered." A 

 native of St. Domingo. Mr. Dr)ander denominates the two 

 lail obfcure fpecies; and has added alfo fome others. 



The whole plant in the Begonias- i-s flcfliy ; the ftem in 

 moil of the fpecies is herbaceous, but fome are ftemltfs. 

 The leaves are petioled, in the caulefcent fpecies alternate* 

 At the bafe of the petioles is a pair of ftipules. The pe- 

 duncles in the greater part arc dichotomous ; and in the cau- 

 lefcent fpecies, axillary. They are natives of Afia and Ame-- 

 rica within the tropics. Three fpecies have been found oii 

 the ifiands near the coal! of Africa, but none on that conti- 

 nent. To Mr. Drj-ander botanifts are principally indebted 

 for their knowledge of this genus. Linn. Tranf. vol. i. p.i59. 



Propagation ami Culture. Thefe plants increafe readily by 



cuttings ; and if kept in the bark-itove prove highly oma- 



1 mental^ 



