Photo credit: T.Tan B. ‘Spitfire’
Full list of Begonias (except Rexes)
B. rex is actually a species but one that gave rise to over a thousand cultivars it parented. The Rex cultorum contains cultivars that generally have colorful and reflective foliage. They can be challenging to grow at times, but have stunning foliage. They tend to do best in higher temperatures (15-27C although some can tolerate up to 35C) and humidity (40-60%).
This section of the Beognia wiki will catalogue as many culvitars
| Rex Cultorum | |
|---|---|
| Region | South East Asia |
| Plant Type | Rhizomatous |
| Chr 2n | - |
| Endangered Status | Critically endangered |
| 🌡️ | 15 to 27C degrees. Although some varieties can survive 35C. |
| 💦 | 40-60% humidity |
| Care notes | Well draining substrate |
Photo credits: Dimetris
Photo credit: T.Tan B. ‘Spitfire’
Photo credit: T.Tan B. ‘Spitfire’
Begonia rex was discovered by J. Simon before 1856 in India, on rocks and in caves in wet forests or margins from 400-1100 m altitude. It was sent to M. Linden in Brussels where it was hybridised with several other begonias from the same region.
By 1857, Rollison of Tooting England had acquired B. rex from Linden and by 1859 had six cultivar hybrids for sale. In the following years, additional cultivars from J. Makoy, P. Mawet, Keteller, Crousse, Joly, Veitch were developed.
<aside> 💡 Find out more about the other original parents and early hybrids!
A timeline of early B. rex hybrids
</aside>
| Sun Tolerance | Bright indirect shade |
|---|---|
| Pests Diseases | |
| Temperature | 15 to 27C degrees. Although some varieties can survive 35C. |
| Humidity | 40-60% humidity |
| Propagation Method | Leaf wedges are the preferred method of propagation as they produce strong and compact plantlets. Plantlets take at least three months if not six from the striking date. Wedges can be planted in clean sand |
| Comments | Rex roots tend to shy away from plastic posts. |
Vigorous Varieties B. 'Tornado', B. 'Odyssey', or B. 'Twisty Spot'; are vigorous.
Harder Varieties Generally, spiralled hybrids and miniature varieties are harder to grow. Hybrids with hairy leaves, like B. 'Princess of Hanover' and B. 'Comtesse Louise Erdoedy' are harder to grow in lower humidity. They do better in a green house or terrarium. B. 'Glory of St. Albans' and B. 'Roide Roses' are very finicky hybrids.
Dormancy All rexes can go dormant exposed to the cold. Upright rexes were created by crossing a tuberous begonia (B. grandisssp. evansiana) with a rex and are prone to dormancy. If a rex goes dormant,water very sparingly and avoid fertilizing until warmer weather when new growth appears. |
<aside> 💡 Quick search shortcuts (full alphabetical list is below):
</aside>
113 Begonias in the list below
If you have a rex begonia to add to our database, please take a moment to share this with us.
Click here to submit a begonia, photos or more info