Begonia ‘Benitochiba’
Begonia ‘Benitochiba’ is a really exotic looking rex cultivar. It is published that Isamu Misono, a noted Japanese hybridizer crossed Begonia ‘Filigree’ (a rex cultivar) with the Brazilian species B. luxurians and the offspring is ‘Benitochiba’, That being said, judging from the characteristics of this cultivar and chromeosome numbers of the species, many believe the species parent is B. hemsleyana. The compound leaf is a silver pink color with black or purple markings along the main veins. In cool temperatures and bright light the leaves are a bright metallic pink. It has an upright growth habit. The flowers are pink. This is really a choice rex begonia. Like many rex hybrids, the colors in the leaves tend to vary depending on season. Colors tend to dull in the heat of summer but will become more vibrant again as the weather cools.
(Misono, Japan, 1984)
Care of Begonia ‘Benitochiba’:
Shade to partial shade, higher humidity, temp. 50 to 95 degrees, 12 to 15 in. tall, allow getting slightly dry between watering
Family: Begoniaceae
This plant is shipped in a 3.5 – 4 inch pot.
