Scientific Name:
Begonia rex
(incl. hybrids)
Pronunciation:
beh-GOHN-yuh wrecks
Common Name:
rex begonia
Family Name:
Begoniaceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Leaves basal, palmately veined, blades of most cultivars asymmetric, ovate, 8-15(-33)cm long x 6-14(-21)cm wide, stiff hairs on undersides with many interesting blade shapes and markings (e.g. spiraled, spotted, streaked, bordered and splotched).
Habit:
Dense, Spreading, Upright
Form:
Mounded
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Garden origin, South Asia / India
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Sheltered
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Indoor plant
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Prickly, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous, Branching hairs
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green, Pink, Red, Dark-red, Many cvs., with spots, zonation, etc.
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate, Acute
Bases:
Cordate, Oblique (uneven)
Margins:
Ciliate, Dentate, Serrulate
Additional Info:
Leaves variegated
Inflorescence Type:
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
Can flower any month
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Softwood cuttings
Optimal Temp.:
High
Light Level:
Low
Maintenance:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites, Root rot
