26 



BEGONIA DIVERSIFOLIA. 



this family, will clear up the point and set the question at rest. Until lately the 

 genus Begonia was considered as belonging to the division Monochlamydese, that 

 is, with only one floral envelope, which, according to modern writers, whether it 

 be coloured or not, is called a calyx; as in Anemone and Polygonum; but Begonia 

 petalodes, figured a short time ago in the Botanical Register by Dr. Lindley, 

 clearly shows both calyx and corolla to be present ; and indeed we have seen one 

 or two species which seem to indicate a similar formation ; one of which we shall 

 shortly figure. 



The genus Begonia is composed of deciduous shrubs and herbaceous plants, all 

 from tropical climates ; of which about fifty species are at present known. The 

 whole of these are probably in a living state in Europe ; and by far the greater 

 number may be procured in England from the nurserymen and florists, with 

 whom they have always been favourite objects of culture for their beauty and 

 singularity. 



Their medical properties are not so well known as they probably deserve to be : 

 the roots are said to be astringent and slightly bitter, and have been used suc- 

 cessfully in hsemorrhages, in scorbutic affections, and in certain fevers. They are 

 plants of easy culture, and are very generally seen in the windows of private 

 dwellings, where they succeed very well if properly attended to and have sufficient 

 water, of which they require a free supply. But the best method for their 

 cultivation is to pot them in a mixture of peat and sand, or (as preferred by some) 

 decayed vegetable matter, as old tan, and keep them in a humid atmosphere. 

 Under such treatment they become delightful objects, and cannot but excite 

 universal admiration. They are readily increased by cuttings of the young shoots 

 in the spring, as well as by seeds. The readiest method of increase, however, is 

 by the clusters of small gems which are formed abundantly upon the stems in the 

 axillee of the leaves at almost every joint ; these may be collected when the stems 

 begin to decay, and kept dry in paper until spring, when if sown with only about 

 the sixteenth part of an inch of light soil put over them, they will soon vegetate. 

 Plants raised by this means frequently flower the same season. During the 

 winter, when the plants are in a dormant state, the soil in the pots should be kept 

 almost without water. — The generic name, Begonia, was given to this tribe of 

 plants by Linneus in honour of Michael Begon, a promoter of Botany ; its specific 

 name, diversifolia, which is formed of two Latin words (diversum and folium, 

 signifying different leaves), has reference to the various forms of the leaves on the 

 plant, as noticed in the specific character. — Our drawing was made from a plant 

 in the collection of the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society. 



