Species · genus Begonia · Begoniaceae

Eyelash Begonia

Begonia bowerae Ziesenh.

Growth habit

rhizomatous geophyte

Native range

Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Begonia bowerae — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of B. bowerae

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under B. bowerae yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

The Eyelash Begonia

Begonia bowerae, commonly known as the eyelash begonia, is a member of the Begoniaceae family. It is not native to Great Britain or Ireland, and is grown here as a houseplant valued for its patterned foliage.

Source: RHS

A Begonia's Asymmetry

Like others in its genus, this begonia carries the family's hallmark asymmetrical leaves, often strikingly patterned. Begonias in this group may hold fibrous, tuberous, or rhizomatous roots, and their small or large flowers bear both male and female parts within the same cluster.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

15–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, airy rhizomatous-begonia mix

Propagation

Leaf or rhizome cuttings

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Small pink flowers on tall stems in winter

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Soluble calcium oxalates — mouth irritation, vomiting; tubers most toxic. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Eyelash Begonia yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.