300 
THE BEGONIA. 
of moisture than plants of a more rigid com- 
position : a loamy soil with abundance of 
drainage would suit them very well, especially 
if intermixed with a portion of small lumps 
of such substances as charcoal, broken bricks, 
broken free-stone, &c. &c. The smaller grow- 
ing species, as above referred to, are those 
which can be grown to the best advantage. 
For our own part, we should select such as 
the following, and employ as many of them as 
we could obtain, or the space would allow : — 
B. semperflorens, reniformis, tuberosa, ulmi- 
folia, Dregei, hydrocotylifolia, coccinea, rainen- 
tacea, parvifolia, geraniifolia, argyrostigma, and 
several others might be named. 
DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP BEGONIAS. 
Begonia acida, (acid Elephant's-ear.) — A 
stout fleshy-stemmed stove plant, growing 
three feet high, with large thick fleshy peltate 
leaves, which as well as the stems are covered 
with a hoary woolly substance : the flowers 
are of a clear white colour, borne in large 
clusters. Native of Brazil. Also called B. 
peltifolia, B. peltata, and B. pauciflora. 
Segoniaacei'ifolia,(map\e-\ea.ycd Elephant's- 
ear.) — A fleshy-stemmed stove species, with 
pale-coloured flowers, introduced from Brazil. 
Begonia acuminata, (pointed-leaved Ele- 
phant's-ear.) — A slender-stemmed stove plant, 
growing from three to four feet, with unequal 
acuminate cordate hairy leaves, and pink 
flowers in small clusters from the axils. It 
blooms all the year. Native of Jamaica. 
Begonia acutifoHa, (acute-leaved Ele- 
phant's-ear.) — A fleshy-stemmed stove plant ; 
the leaves are obliquely cordate, and narrow 
at the point; it bears panicles of white flowers 
in August. Native of mountains in Jamaica. 
Begonia albo-coccinea, (scarlet and white 
Elephant's-ear.) — A very handsome herbaceous 
stove species, with short, somewhat creeping 
stems ; large oblique peltate, or shield-shaped, 
almost kidney-shaped leaves, and loose spread- 
ing panicles of flowers, which are bright red 
externally, and white within. It is from the 
East Indies, and blooms throughout the spring 
and summer months. 
Begonia argyrostigma, (silver-spotted Ele- 
phant's-ear.) — An erect, branching, shrubby 
stove plant, handsome even when out of flower, 
for its leaves are distinctly spotted with white ; 
they are semi-cordate and oblique, red be- 
neath ; the flowers are white, in small droop- 
ing panicles. It blooms during the spring 
and summer months. Native of Brazil. Also 
called B. maculata, and B. punctata. 
Begonia apt era, (winglessElephant's-ear.) — 
A branching-stemmed stove plant, with large 
obiique ovate leaves, and producing graceful 
clusters of white flowers during summer and 
autumn. 
Begonia Barheri, (Barker's Elephant's- 
ear.) — An herbaceous green-house species. 
It has very large roundish leaves, and white 
flowers, produced in a huge mass on a foot- 
stalk four feet high, chiefly in the autumn 
months. Native of Mexico. 
Begoniabulbifera, (bu\b-bear'ingFAe-p\\ant's- 
ear.) — A small tuberous herbaceous stove spe- 
cies, with pink blossoms, produced in Septem- 
ber, October and November. It is from Peru. 
Begonia castaneayolia, (chestnut-leaved Ele- 
phant's-ear.) — A slender-stemmed stove species 
with ovate leaves, and blush-coloured flowers, 
produced from February to April. Native 
of Brazil. 
Begonia coccinea, (scarlet Begonia.) — A 
very handsome, somewhat fleshy-stemmed stove 
plant, of compact branching habit, with un- 
equal oval acuminate dark green leaves, red 
beneath ; the flowers are numerous, and re- 
main a long time on the plant ; they are of a 
brilliant scarlet or crimson, in small spreading 
axillary panicles. Flowers through the sum- 
mer months. Native of the Organ mountains 
of Brazil. Also called B. rubra. 
Begonia crassicaulis, (thick-stemmed Ele- 
phant's-ear.) — This has short fleshystems with 
deciduous leaves and white flowers ; profusely 
produced in spring after the stems are leafless. 
It is from Guatemala. The leaves are large 
and palmate. 
Begonia diclwtoma, (two-forked Elephant's- 
ear.) — An erect shrubby stove plant four to 
five feet high,with large unequal cordate leaves, 
and branching panicles of white flowers. It 
flowers in July and August. Native of the 
humid woods of Caraccas. Also known as 
B. longipes, and B. macrophylla. 
Begonia dipetala, (two petaled Elephant's- 
ear.) — A stove plant with naked fleshy stems, 
four feet high, and narrowish oblique heart- 
shaped leaves, which when young are faintly 
spotted with white. From the axils of the 
leaves are produced the pale pink flowers in 
small drooping clusters. Flowers from April 
to July. Native of Bombay, and other parts 
of the East Indies. 
Begonia diptera, (two-winged Elephant's- 
ear.) — A stemless stove perennial, with un- 
equally cordate leaves, and white flowers, pro- 
duced in June. Native of the Cape of Good 
Hope. 
Begonia digitata, (fingered Elephant's-ear.) 
— A rough erect-stemmed stove species, grow- 
ing three feet high, with digitate leaves and 
white flowers, produced during the summer. 
Native of Brazil. 
Begonia discolor, (two-coloured Elephant's 
ear.) — This is the common species, with large 
dark green hairy leaves, red beneath, which is 
found in many parlour windows. It is an 
annual-stemmed plant, bearing large pink 
