Kerchove 1883
Brazil
Section Knesebeckia
Appearance
A very beautiful shrub-like begonia. The leaves, with a lobed, oblong-acuminate blade, vary in colour: the upper side is often bright satiny green with white spots between the veins, with many hairs on top, especially on the white spots, where they are neatly “lined up”; the edge is also hairy. The veins are red, as is the point where the petiole joins. The underside is pale green, with red areas between the veins, which are raised. The petiole is light green and glabrous. The flowers are white and sparse.
Culture
A temperamental plant that needs high humidity but does not like water on its roots, so it is hard to keep through the winter. It flowers in spring. Seed is fairly easy to obtain and to grow.
A well-known hybrid was created in 1890 by Crozy: ‘President Carnot’, a cross between Begonia olbia and Begonia coccinea.
Propagation
This species can be propagated from stem cuttings in summer and from seed.
