Species · genus Begonia · Begoniaceae

Iron Cross Begonia

Begonia masoniana Irmsch.

Growth habit
perennial or rhizomatous geophyte
Native range
China Southeast, Vietnam
Reference · B. masoniana

Cultivars of B. masoniana

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

No named cultivars catalogued under B. masoniana 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 masoniana is a rhizomatous Begonia from the warm, humid understory of Southeast China and Vietnam, where it grows in dappled shade with steady warmth and moisture. Give it bright indirect light, never direct sun, and water when the top inch of mix has dried — its shallow rhizome rots if left sitting wet. It prefers high humidity and airflow; let the surface approach dryness between waterings rather than keeping it soggy.

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

16–26 °C

Soil mix

Loose, well-draining mix rich in coir or peat with perlite

Propagation

Leaf or rhizome cuttings in humid, moist medium

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly through spring and summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Grown for its puckered leaves; flowers are small and secondary

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.

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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 Iron Cross 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.

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