August 17, 1882. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
143 
17 th 
Tn 
Maidenhead and Basingstoke Shows. 
mu 
F 
19 th 
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20th 
Sun 
11th Sunday after Trinity. 
21st 
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22nd 
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Royal Ilorticul-tural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees at 
28rd 
W 
Burton-on-Trent Show. [11 a.M. 
TUBEROUS BEGONIAS. 
HE improvement of plants during the past half 
century has very deservedly received much 
attention from horticulturists, and the grand 
advances that have been made in many genera 
afford abundant evidence of the success which 
has attended well-directed efforts. Careful 
cultivation, judicious crossing, and thoughtful per¬ 
severing selection have yielded most satisfactory 
results, the number of usefully ornamental plants being 
largely increased and their beauty greatly diversified. 
Many instances of this could be given, but a few will suffice, 
one of the most striking, perhaps, being the Clematises, the 
progress of which was noted a short time since in these pages. 
Pelargoniums, especially the decorative and Zonal sections, 
have also advanced greatly ; while amongst fine-foliage plants 
may be instanced the Dracaenas, Crotons, and Coleuses, all of 
which have progressed considerably in recent years. There is, 
however, another genus of flowering plants—the Begonia, that 
has profitably employed the attention of hybridisers ; but it is in 
one section alone—namely, that including the Tuberous species 
and varieties, that the most astonishing results have been ob¬ 
tained, and to a consideration of the means by which such 
success has been achieved the following notes are devoted. 
All who have visited the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gar¬ 
dens at Chiswick during the past and present months have 
been greatly attracted by the display of Tuberous Begonias 
there provided, which well illustrate the excellence that has 
been attained with these plants. Visitors to Messrs. J. Laing 
and Co.’s nurseries at Forest Hill have been similarly surprised, 
not only at the brilliancy of the colours and the abundance of 
flowers, but also at the great size of the individual blooms, the 
breadth of the petals, and the symmetrical form which dis¬ 
tinguish so many handsome varieties. Contrasting these with 
the narrow-petalled earlier forms shows at a glance the pro¬ 
gress that has been made, and reminds us forcibly of the 
similar difference between the early Zonal and bedding Pelar¬ 
goniums and those finely formed varieties at present in culti¬ 
vation. Attention has further been paid to the habit of these 
Begonias, and there are now two well-marked groups—namely, 
those of erect growth and those with slightly drooping stems, 
though gradations may be found between the extremes. The 
first-named may be again subdivided, according to the height 
of the plants, into tall, medium, and dwarf varieties, all having 
their particular advantages and uses. Some advance has also 
been made in obtaining a race with ornamental foliage, though 
at present this is chiefly confined to the Pearcei type with 
yellow or buff flowers, yet greater success is confidently ex¬ 
pected, and will doubtlessly he attained. Hundreds of varie¬ 
ties, all more or less distinct and beautiful, have received 
names and been sent out by nurserymen ; but it is now found 
that seed saved from a good strain yields so many excellent 
varieties that some firms have discontinued naming these plants, 
their efforts being directed to rendering the strain generally as 
meritorious as possible. So that now the purchaser of a packet 
of seed can rely upon obtaining varieties quite equal to some 
of the best named forms, and there is the possibility even that 
something superior may be secured. At the Forest Hill nur¬ 
series many thousands of seedlings are raised every year, and 
these are planted out in prepared beds for trial, all that are 
really worthless being discarded. In the autumn the young 
plants are lifted, the small tubers being dried and sold like 
other tuberous or bulbous plants. A great demand exists for 
these, as they come within the means of many who cannot 
afford the higher-priced novelties. 
Having considered the present characteristics of Tuberous 
Begonias, it may be well to briefly allude to the means by 
which so high a degree of merit has been attained, and the 
original forms that have been employed by hybridisers in pro¬ 
ducing such satisfactory results. Although the varieties and 
hybrids are so numerous, the species that have contributed to 
their formation are comparatively few, and, moreover, are 
nearly all of recent introduction. The lofty Andes of South 
America is the chief home of these Begonias, distinguished by 
possessing a tuberous rootstock and herbaceous fleshy stems ; 
but one of the latest introduced, B. socotrana, which also shares 
these characters to some extent, is, however, as the specific 
name signifies, a native of Socotra. Though this will doubt¬ 
less play an important part in future attempts to improve or 
vary the Tuberous Begonias, it has at present been in this 
country too short a time (about two years) for any results to 
have been obtained in that direction. The other species— 
namely, B. octopetala, B. boliviensis, B. Veitchii, B. Pearcei, 
B. rosaeflora, B. Clarkei, B. geranrifolia, B. Davisi, B. Froebeli, 
and B. cinnabarina, are found on the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, 
or Bolivia at high elevations, frequently up to 10,000 feet 
above sea level. The oldest of these is the greenish white- 
flowered species B. octopetala, which appears to have been 
introduced from Peru about 1835, but was subsequently lost 
and reintroduced by M. Roezl. This is chiefly interesting as 
one of the oldest of the section, for it has not been of great 
service to hybridisers. Next in order of introduction is another 
rather unimportant species, B. cinnabarina, a native of Bolivia, 
with vermilion flowers, which made its appearance about ten 
years later than the preceding. B. boliviensis is well known, 
and has been largely employed in crossing with other forms. 
It is a Bolivian species, and was originally found by Mr. 
Weddell, but not introduced until some years after—namely 
about 1857. 
B. Pearcei, a comparatively dwarf form with large yellow 
flowers, dark green velvety leaves, veined with a lighter hue, 
and reddish on the under surface, is also a Bolivian species, 
for which English cultivator's are indebted to Messrs. J. Yeitch 
and Sons of Chelsea, by whom it was sent out seventeen years 
ago. It was found by the traveller Mr. Pearce, whose name 
it bears. Most of the yellow-flowered varieties owe their 
origin to this species. B. Veitchii, also a dwarf form, has 
bright scarlet flowers, which are produced freely, and it has 
been very useful in giving rise to a race of dwarf but vigorous 
No. 112 .—Yol. Y-j Third Series. 
No. 1768 . — Yor. LAYIII.; Old Series. 
