Species · genus Begonia · Begoniaceae

Star Begonia

Begonia heracleifolia Cham. & Schltdl.

Also known as: Star-leaf Begonia · Starleaf Begonia

Growth habit

epiphyte

Native range

Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Reference · B. heracleifolia

Cultivars of B. heracleifolia

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

No named cultivars catalogued under B. heracleifolia 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.

Begonia heracleifolia is a rhizomatous begonia native to the moist forests of Mexico and Central America, where it grows in dappled light with good airflow around its roots. Give it bright indirect light and an open, fast-draining mix, and let the top inch of the mix dry before watering again, as its fleshy rhizome rots if kept soggy. It prefers elevated humidity but resents standing water at its base.

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

High

Temperature

15–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, airy rhizomatous-begonia mix

Propagation

Leaf or rhizome cuttings

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly in growth

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Clusters of pale pink flowers in winter to spring

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

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 Star Begonia yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.