Biology:Begonia rex
| Begonia rex | |
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| B. rex 'Putz' cultivar drawn by G. Severeyns for Flore des serres et des jardins de l'Europe in 1857.[1] | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Begoniaceae |
| Genus: | Begonia |
| Species: | B. rex
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| Binomial name | |
| Begonia rex Putz.
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Begonia rex, the king begonia, fancy-leaf begonia, or painted-leaf begonia is a species of flowering plant in the family Begoniaceae. It's a rhizomatous begonia first brought to England from Assam, and documented in 1857.[3]
It is native to the East Himalayas, found from southern Bhutan to northern Myanmar, and has been introduced to Bangladesh, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.[2][4]
These plants are noted for their dark leaves with prominent silvery grey bands, and are usually grown for their foliage, not flowers.[5] When this species was introduced into cultivation, it became popular as a houseplant. Hybrids began to appear with varying leaf patterns as Rex begonias hybridize quite freely.[6]
Rex Cultorum
Begonia rex Putz. was thought to be good type species until molecular taxonomy revealed that it is likely only one member of a large species complex of closely related begonias with similar appearances. The complex and its hybrid progeny are collectively referred to as Begonia Rex Cultorum.[7]
Begonia rex is in the parentage of over 500 cultivars in the Begonia Rex Cultorum Group of houseplants.[8]
Other parents in the multitude of crosses made during the creation of the Group include Begonia annulata, B. cathayana, B. decora, B. diadema, B. dregei, B. grandis, B. hatacoa, B. palmata, and B. xanthina.[8]
Awards
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Begonia 'Benitochiba' -
Begonia 'Escargot' -
Begonia 'Fireworks' -
Begonia 'Midnight Magic' -
Begonia 'Namur' -
File:Begonia rex silver queen-1-nature love-yercaud-salem-India.jpg
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Other cultivars that have also received Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit include: 'Carolina Moon', 'China Curl', 'Curly Fireflush', 'David Blais', 'Dewdrop', 'Emerald Beauty', 'Green Gold', 'Helen Lewis', 'Hilo Holiday', 'Ironstone', 'Martin Johnson', 'Mikado', 'Orient', 'Pink Champagne', 'Princess of Hanover', 'Red Robin', 'Regal Minuet', 'Rocheart', 'Roi de Roses', 'Sal's Comet', 'Sea Serpent', 'Silver Cloud', and 'Silver King'.[9]
Light
Rex begonias do well in bright, indirect light. Foliage of these plants could burn when plants are exposed to excessive direct sunlight. The ideal light intensity for most Rex begonia varieties is 1,500 to 2,200 foot-candles.[10]
References
- ↑ Camfield, Rebecca; Hughes, Mark (2018). "A revision and one new species of Begonia L. (Begoniaceae, Cucurbitales) in Northeast India". European Journal of Taxonomy (396): 1–116. doi:10.5852/ejt.2018.396. https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/524/1174. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Begonia rex Putz.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:105573-1.
- ↑ Tsamtsis, Paul. "Begonia rex Putzeys". American Begonia Society. https://www.begonias.org/begonia-rex-putzeys/.
- ↑ "Begonia rex king begonia". The Royal Horticultural Society. 2021. https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/101666/i-Begonia-rex-i-(R)/Details. "Other common names; … fan plant, painted-leaf begonia"
- ↑ ABS (7 June 2021). "Join | American Begonia Society" (in en-US). https://www.begonias.org/membership/join/.
- ↑ Shannon, Laughlin (23 February 2022). "Rex Begonia | Home and Garden Education Center" (in en-US). https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/rex-begonia/.
- ↑ "Rex Cultorum". American Begonia Society. https://www.begonias.org/rex-cultorum/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cubey, Janet; Wesley, Wendy (December 2006). "Begonia Rex Cultorum Group". RHS Plant Trials and Awards Bulletin Number 16: 1–16. https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/PDFs/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-bulletins/begonia-rex.pdf. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ↑ "AGM Plants Dec 2020 © RHS – ORNAMENTAL". The Royal Horticultural Society. December 2020. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf.
- ↑ Ginori, Julian; Huo, Heqiang; Norman, Dave (12 December 2022). "Beginner's Guide to Begonias: Begonia rex-cultorum". EDIS 2022 (6). doi:10.32473/edis-ep632-2022. ISSN 2576-0009. http://dx.doi.org/10.32473/edis-ep632-2022.
Wikidata ☰ Q2893850 entry
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