Common name:Hybrid Tuberous Begonia
Family:Begoniaceae, Begonia
Height x width: 8-12"x12"
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: roughly ovate, alternate, dentate and ciliate margins, size variable
Flowers: axillary, double or single, 2" or more across, yellow to red, purplish or white
Hardiness: tender annual, zones 8-10
Soil: moist
Light: part shade (heavy shade makes leggy)
Pests and problems: powdery mildew, bacterial leaf spot, stem rot, aphids, mealybugs, thrips
Landscape habit, uses: border front, hanging baskets, containers; variable habit from low spreading to erect
Other interest: named after M. Begon (1638-1710)--Governor of French Canada and patron of botany
Other culture: forms tubers often concave above; keep well-watered in summer; fertilize regularly until 6 weeks before frost; after flowering and when foliage yellows stop watering, when leaves die, dig, clean and store tubers in dry, frost-free place inspecting occasionally; when buds show pot in moist organic medium just below surface, keep moist in indirect light, pot when at least 2 leaves; prune all but 2-3 main shoots, remove small single female flowers leaving large double male flowers; remove blooms as they fade; stake plants to keep upright and from breaking
Propagation: seeds (1 million per ounce) sown 18-24 weeks before sale, keep in long days; stem cuttings; tubers
Species:
x tuberhybrida (tue-ber-hii' bri-dah)--hybrids of up to 7 species from Andes, may be classified in 13 groupings based on plant habit or flower color:
1. (S) Single--large single flowers, 4 usually flat tepals (flower part undistinguishable as sepal or petal)
2. (Fr) Frilled, Crispa--large single flowers, tepal margins frilled or ruffled
3. (Cr) Cristata, Crested--large single flowers, frilled or tufted center of tepals
4. (N) Narcissiflora, Daffodil-flowered--large more or less double flowers, central tepals form "trumpet"
5. (C) Camellia, Camelliflora--large double flowers resembling camellias, unruffled, solid colors
6. (RC) Ruffled Camellia--camellia flowers ruffled on edges
7. (R) Rosebud, Rosiflora--large double flowers with rose bud-like center
8. (Car) Carnation, Fimbriata Plena--large double carnation-like flowers, tepals fringed on margins
9. (P) Picotee--large usually double flowers like camellias, tepals with different color on margin blending with other color
10. (M) Marginata--like Picotee only distinct non-blending line of color on margins
11. (Mar) Marmorata, Marbled--like Camellia but rose-colored, blotched or spotted with white
12. (HB) Hanging Basket, Pendula--stems trailing or pendant, large to small flowers single or double
13. (Mul) Multiflora--low, bushy, compact plants with many small single
or double flowers
Cultivars:
| Cultivars, other taxa | group | flower color | flowers, other |
| 'Allan Langdon' | C | dark red | |
| 'Bernat Klein' | C | white | |
| 'Bridesmaid' | P | white, red edge | |
| 'Buttermilk' | C | cream, apricot | |
| Cascade series | HB | 4 colors | |
| Charisma series (Rieger) | C | coral, salmon | 2½" wide |
| Clips series | C | mix | 14 weeks from seed |
| 'Fairy Light' | P | white, pink edge | |
| Illumination series | HB | pink, orange | large double |
| 'Jean Blair' | P | yellow, red edge | |
| 'Lace Red' | P | red, white edge | |
| Marmorata series | Mar | mix | |
| Midnight Beauty series | C | 5 colors | bronze foliage, early |
| Musical series | HB | 5 colors | small, mostly double |
| Nonstop series | C | 9 colors | 3½-4½" wide |
| 'Pin-Up' | M | white, rose edge | 4-5" wide |
| 'Prima Donna' | P | yellow, red edge | |
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