Magnificent rhizomatous begonia native to Vietnam. It is endemic to the mountainous province of Lam Dong.
It was named after Dinh Thieu Du, the first to collect a specimen of this begonia, at 1,200 m altitude in primary forest, on sandstone slopes, in a humid and shaded area.
The leaf blade, beautifully variegated, is subsymmetrical or symmetrical. The base is cordate and the apex long-acuminate, the margin wavy or finely denticulate. The upper surface is dark green to brown and silvery light green, while the lower surface is intense red and very light green. Stipules are present at the base of the reddish, glabrous petiole. The flowers are white, slightly tinged with pink.
In its native environment, this begonia loses its leaves in December and goes into dormancy during the dry period that ends in February.
This superb species, whose population extends over only 1 km², is highly coveted by collectors and therefore endangered.
