Begonia
Natural climatic conditions: subtropics and tropics.
The forms are different: shrubs, climbing shrubs, herbaceous plants with upright, climbing or ampel shoots. Types of begonia can be considered both decorative and decorative, and as ornamental flowering, it is sometimes difficult to separate these qualities, however, in this section those are mentioned whose leaf beauty immediately catches the eye and often surpasses the decorative appearance of the inflorescences.
The most common types of begonia from decorative:
Begonia collar * Herbaceous plant;stalk thickened, creeping, leaves light green with outgrowths of bright red color located along the veins on the underside and in the form of a rosette "collar" in the upper part of the petiole;inflorescence - loose brush, small, pink flowers, can be considered as ornamental and decorative-flowering species. Begonium begonia ♦ A herbaceous plant;shoots are long, creeping, bare;leaves large( up to 9 cm in length and up to 11 cm in width) blunt-pointed, inflorescences racemose, drooping, flowers small, white. Begonia naked ♦ Shoots bare, climbing, rooted in knots;the leaves are oval or ovoid, unevenly toothed, up to 8 cm in length and 3 cm in width;inflorescences racemose, flowers small, white. Can be used as an ampel plant. Begonia diadem * Stem is short, fleshy, often - creeping;the leaves are large, irregularly marginal along the margin, the upper and lower sides are unequally colored( depending on the variety), the lower one and the petioles are bright red;inflorescence - a small brush, flowers are pink.
Varieties: "Abendrot" - leaves on top pink, from below - dark purple with darker veins;"Non plus ultra" - leaves with deep cuts along the edges, the upper and lower sides differ only in the color intensity, reddish with darker veins, and also with dark red-green stripes along them and along the edges of the leaf;"Salamander" - from above green with dark spots along veins, from below reddish;"Silver suite" - leaves metallic gray with darker stripes along the veins, matte-shining, flowers with a yellowish tinge;"Forelet" - green leaves with red spots and silvery edges;and other varieties.
Begonia imperial ♦ stalk creeping;leaves large, velvety with a rough surface, coloring - depending on the variety;flowers usually greenish-yellow.
Varieties: "Iron Cross" - petioles are pubescent, leaves up to 18 cm long, bright green with a cruciform dark spot along the main veins;"Grus an Erfurt" - leaves up to 10 cm long, bright green, crimson veins along the veins, gradual color transition;and other varieties.
Begonia Kellerman * Stem creeping;the leaves are oval-elongated, fleshy, felt-furred, yellow-green or with a reddish tinge. Relatively unpretentious view.
Begoviya kleshchevinolippaia ♦ Tall, sprawling shoots;the stalk is pubescent with papillate outgrowths;the petioles are long( sometimes reaching 1 m in length), the leaves resemble castor leaves, dentate, from olive-brown to bronze-green;inflorescence - loose brush on tall peduncles, flowers small, pink.
Begonia royal ♦ A plant with a lobed stalk, leaves large to 30 cm long and 20 wide, asymmetrically cordate, edges rugged;the initial shape of the petiole is reddish, the main background of the leaf blade is green with a metallic outflow, the reddish rim along the edge, in the middle part - the silvery-white zone;flowers are white-pink. Varieties differ mainly in the size and color of the leaves.
Varieties: "Aurora von Koenigsmarkt" - leaves are silvery with a carmine tint, matte-shiny;flowers pink;"Vesuvius" - leaves are brownish-red with a strip of bright pink spots along the edge of the leaf blade;"Gemmazhesti" - leaves are dark olive-green, on the edge of almost black strip;"German Toilets" - the petioles of the leaves are red, the leaves are silky, the main background of the leaf blades is silvery with a crimson hue, sometimes almost white; along the edge there is an uneven greenish strip;"Demon" - small petioles, leaflets shortened, color change from center to edge consecutive, stripes: center olive-green, silver-gray band, emerald-green band, olive-green margin;"Pearl of Paris" - leaves are silvery on the main background, the strip along the main vein and the rim - olive-green;"Maisterstock" - leaves distinctly asymmetric, silvery-crimson-gray with a wide reddish-dark green fringing of veins, sometimes surrounding the main background due to fading of the fringe patches;"Merry Christmas" - the leaves are satin-shiny, the center of the leaves is bright pink( maybe with a dark green-black spot at the base of the petiole), then there is a wide silvery band, the border is bright green;"Mikado" - leaves are silvery, veins are dark green, on the edge - dark reddish-gray;"Fairleys" - leaves are silvery-gray with dark green veins;"Edna Corte" - leaves with an elongated point, dark olive-gray with small rare silvery spots, along the edge( sometimes at equal distance from the edge and central vein), as if created by merged spots silvery-gray band;"Helen Tipel" - leaves with strong cuts along the edges and sharp endings, marked with notches of lobes, silvery-gray in the main background with darker stripes along the veins;and other varieties.
Begonia Kredner * Leaves are pubescent, roundish-angular, the upper side is gray-green, the underside and petioles are red;inflorescence loose brush on pink peduncle, flowers relatively large, bright pink with red veins.
Begonia alfalfa * Leaves are elongated-oval, from above green with silvery spots, from below red-brown, inflorescence - drooping brush, on bright red peduncles, flowers bright pink;stable low-speckled appearance.
Begonia metal ♦ Branch half-shrub;stem red, down;the leaves are elongated-cordate, on top with metallic luster, olive-green, below - bright red;inflorescence brush, flowers small, white or pink.
Begonia many-leafed * A bush-like plant with drooping shoots of reddish color, strong-leaved;leaves small( up to 2 cm long), oblong-elliptical, dark green on top, bottom - light green;inflorescences on short peduncles, axillary, flowers small, white.
Mason Begonia * Herbaceous plant, stalk thickened, lodging;the leaves are large, oval-cordate, pointed at the apex, the main background is bright green, brown spots around the veins, which can form a pattern resembling a cross, the letter "x", etc.; inflorescence - loose whisk, flowers small, greenish-white.
Begonia palchataya * The stem is tall;the leaves are large( up to 15 cm long and up to 25 cm wide), palmate-dissected, jagged along the edges, dark green;flowers small, pinkish.
Begonias of the leucorrhoea ♦ Herbaceous plant with thin drooping shoots;leaves up to 8 cm long, ovate-oblong, apically pointed at the apex, above the syzo-green, reddish below;inflorescence racemose, flowers reddish pink;can be grown as an ampel plant.
Sudanese begonia * Stem shortened, relatively thick, lodging;leaves oblong-rounded, corrugated, velvety-dark green with lighter relief veins;inflorescence paniculate, flowers small, whitish-pink.
Begonia angular * Stem erect, relatively thin;leaves are elongated-lanceolate, from above silky-shiny dark green with silvery-white stripes along central veins, from below - bright red;flowers small, white. Begonia Phista * Stem is creeping, the leaves are kidney-rounded( sometimes round-elliptically-kidney-shaped), dense, shiny, dark green on top with a slightly noticeable brownish-reddish tint, from below red;inflorescence - loose brush, small flowers, tender pink. Requirement for moisture: a moisture-loving plant, but from excess water can perish. Do not use cold water for sprinkling and watering. During the rest period( in winter), begonia should be watered only after the earth's coma has dried completely. It is very important to maintain the stability of air humidity( without sudden changes).
Temperature regimen: It feels good in the range of 13 to 22 ° C, but does not like sharp and frequent temperature changes( it can discard leaves).He prefers stability or gradual change. The rest period is well expressed in tuberous species. The tubers are stored at a temperature of about 10 ° C.For the budding period, the temperature is desirable slightly above the average optimum( 20 ° C), after bloom it can be reduced to 15 ° C.The seeds are germinated at a temperature of about 25 ° C.
Light mode: prefers partial shade. Direct rays reduce decorativeness( in Begonia begone and some other species can cause severe burns to the leaves).Many clearly expressed photoperiodism( short-day).The requirement for soil: for all begonias, a mixture of leaf, turf and humus lands with peat and sand in a ratio of 12: 1: 2: 6: 4 is suitable, but for some species the deviating options will be even more favorable: for large bush plants it is desirable to increasethe share of sod land;for young plants begonias are always flowering and slender does not include peat, whereas for begonia tuber it is necessary to maintain the desired acidity( pH 6-6,5).Top dressing is moderate and exceptionally during the active vegetation period, but in the event of a sufficient supply of dry fertilizers in spring, it is not necessary. Tuber begonia to feed necessarily.
Reproduction: 1) stem and leaf cuttings( you can use and parts of the sheet, but in this case, they must be treated with care, as they tend to rot).On the leaf petiole it is desirable to make incisions in the areas of branching of the veins. Root leaf cuttings on sand or a mixture of moss and sand( 1: 4), pressing them to the substrate with pebbles( pebbles).The substrate must be sterile;2) by dividing the rhizome;3) seeds( they are very small), which are sown without sealing. Seedlings appear in a month or two, they must be dived at least two times.
Features: for the majority it is contraindicated turning to light. The premises where begonia grows are preferably ventilated. In tuber species for a period of rest, the fading shoots are cut. For most species, pricking is mandatory.