Species · genus Begonia · Begoniaceae
Painted-leaf Begonia
Begonia rex Putz.
Also known as: King Begonia · Rex Begonias
Cultivars of B. rex
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under B. rex 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 rex is a rhizomatous geophyte from the humid understory of the eastern Himalaya and Myanmar, grown for its patterned foliage rather than constant moisture. Its surface rhizome stores water and rots if left wet, so let the top inch of mix dry before watering, and give bright indirect light away from direct sun. It wants warmth and elevated humidity but resents soggy roots, so err toward the dry side.
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 5-10d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 10 days
High
16–26 °C
Light, fast-draining mix of peat/coir with perlite
Leaf cuttings pinned to moist medium
Half-strength balanced feed every 2-4 weeks in growth
Moderate
Grown for foliage; flowers are small and best pinched off
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 imagesSources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Painted-leaf 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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