ii8 



HOUSE PLANTS 



are glossy green with small, silvery- white spots. 

 They will make plants one and one-half to 

 two feet high. 



Some of the fibrous-rooted begonias do 

 not have stems, the leaves coming directly 

 from woody rhizomes which grov/ at, or just 

 above, the surface of the soil. There is one 

 of this class of which I am quite fond, 

 B. heracleifoUa. The beauty of the plant 

 lies in its deeply divided leaves. They look 

 like huge five or six inch pointed stars. 

 The leaf stalks are anywhere from six to 

 eighteen inches long, depending, of course, 

 on the size of the plant; the leaves vary from 

 six to twelve inches across. The upper sur- 

 face is rich green, the under side reddish, 

 and on one of its varieties the leaf stalk is 

 covered with long, reddish, fleshy hairs. 



In the late winter months the begonias 

 produce long flower stalks which are crowned 

 with a large cluster (often measuring six to 

 nine inches across) of pink .flowers. These 

 will last in good condition for a long time. 



Another of these begonias which is sure 

 to be a success is the so-called beefsteak 

 begonia {B. sanguined). The leaves are 

 roundish, leathery in texture, dark green 



