as long as the petioles, spreading, having at the apex two opposite 
bracts, similar to the stipules, but rather smaller, more round, and 
somewhat unequal. Flowers (1 inch across) white, two arising be= 
tween the bracts, one male, the other female, pedicellate, expanding 
about the same time; pedicels unequal, that of the male flower the 
longer, and nearly equal to the length of the peduncle. Male 
Flower dipetalous, the petals subrotund, flat, slightly unequal, Sta-- 
MENS united by the filaments only at the base; connective short, 
broad, the two anther cells forming lines along its edges, and of rather 
paler yellow than it. Female Flower 6-petalous, petals undulate 
blunt, elliptical, two opposite narrower than the others which are sub= 
equal, style broad, fan-shaped, undulate, revolute, and twisted, having 
along the terminal edge the villous stigmata, which are of darker yel¬ 
low than the styles; germen with two subequal bluntly pointed wings, 
which are larger than the third more rounded one. 
Popular and Geographical Notice. The very extensive 
genus Begonia was at one time considered entirely tropical, and it does 
abound especially on the eastern side of tropical South America, and 
the south and south eastern parts of India. It has been long known, 
however, that it extends beyond the northern edge of the tropic, in the 
east of Asia, reaching as high up as Japan. More lately several spe¬ 
cies have been found in Nepal, but this is less remarkable, as the hot 
vallies of that country furnish almost a tropical vegetation. I am not 
aware that any species has been found in America, to the northward 
of the tropic, though several are found in Mexico. Very few species 
have been found to the eastward of the Andes, and the species now 
figured, is, I believe, the first which has been detected on the conti¬ 
nent of Africa, and in the southern hemisphere the first any where be¬ 
yond the tropic. It was discovered by Drege, but I do not know at 
wiiat distance from the Cape of Good Hope. The difficulty of finding 
analagous forms to the Begoniacem in any other natural order, and the 
diversity of opinion hence arising among botanists as to their true posi¬ 
tion has been already fully adverted to at fob 103 of this work. 
Introduction; Where grown; Culture. Seeds of this plant 
were obtained at the Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from M, Otto, Ber¬ 
lin, in April, 1840, with the M. S. name here adopted, but without any 
account of its native country, but I have since learned from M. Klotzsch 
that seeds and dried specimens were transmitted from the Cape of 
Good Hope to the Botanic Garden at Berlin, by M. Drege. The 
seedling plants flowered abundantly with us in September, while in 
the hotbed where they were raised, and already have formed tubers as 
large as small oranges. They have received no particular treatment, 
and it does not appear that there will be any difficulty in preserving* 
them in moderate heat, 
Beritation of the Names. 
Begonia, in honour of Begon a French Patron of Botany^ Dregii in honour 
of M, Drege, to whom we are indebted for this interesting addition to our 
collections, and to the flora of Africa. Grab, 
