BEGONIACE^E. 



73 



lent undershrubs, with an acid juice. Common in the East and 

 West Indies and South America. 



BEGONIA. 



Gen. Char. (Monoecia Polyandria.) Barren flower — calyx none ; 

 petals four, two larger than the others ; stamens numerous ; fer- 

 tile — petals four or six ; styles three, bifid. 



This genus is named after Begon, a promoter of botany. 

 Most of the species can only be grown in the stove in 

 England, and form a very beautiful genus there, being or- 

 namental both in flower and leaf. B. discolor, a Chinese 

 plant, is however well known in the greenhouse, its leaves 

 alone making it a very handsome addition to any show of 

 plants ; they are large, heart-shaped, oblique at the base, 

 and crimson underneath ; the flowers are elegant, drooping, 

 and of a very delicate pink colour : they do not fade, but 

 drop off when dead. After the flowers are over, water must 

 gradually be withheld, the stem then by degrees falls to 

 pieces, and the plant disappears ; the pot should then be 

 set in a perfectly dry place, and kept from frost : in February 

 the plant shows signs of life again, and may be repotted in 

 good loamy soil, and well watered. Little buds appear on 

 the stem at the joints of the leaves, these drop on to the 



