![]() ![]() The female has a large inferior ovary and two to four branched or twisted stigmas. In other words, male and female flowers occur separately on the same plant. Of the more than 1,000 members of this genus (not counting the vast numbers of named and unnamed cultivars), the majority of them have one thing in common as shown in the photos below: asymmetrical leaf shapes.īegonias originally came from the tropical and subtropical moist climates of South and Central America, Africa, and southern Asia. Any number of cultivars are available with leaves that are smooth, hairy, spotted, multi-hued, whorled, round, asymmetrical, and even star-shaped. While many begonias bloom in glimmering shades of red, pink, white and more, in many cases the foliage is more interesting than the flowers. My visit to Longwood Gardens that fateful day opened my eyes to the complex world of this large and diverse genus of plants. There’s a vast world of begonias beyond the ones our grandmothers grew. I had been bewitched – by a begonia!īegonias are generally regarded as common, ordinary, old-fashioned house plants. We searched for the plant identification tag. Everything about this plant seemed exotic, yet oddly familiar. Each leaf curled in on itself in sensual whorls of silvery green bands, alternating with deeper hues of forest green. ![]() The foliage shimmered ever so slightly in the light. Its graceful, mounded shape draped demurely over the edge of the urn. Fascinated, we approached the plant tentatively, not sure what we were seeing. We were near the end of our tour when we came upon a strange plant that stood apart on a pedestal in the conservatory. As avid gardeners, we deeply appreciated our tour of Longwood and wandered through the gardens amiably discussing the merits of each plant we encountered. I was there at the invitation of a dear friend and fellow plant geek who lives nearby. It was a clear, sunny day some years ago at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia. ![]()
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