Begonia darthvaderiana

Bat-wing foliage in near-black, glossy dark olive gives Begonia darthvaderiana its name — and its standing as one of the more sought-after Bornean begonias among collectors. Described by C.W.Lin and C.I.Peng, it's endemic to the ultramafic rainforest understory of Sabah, one of the most botanically distinctive environments on the island, growing in warm, very humid, low-light conditions on mossy, litter-rich forest-floor substrate. Large, asymmetric, winged-outline leaves are anchored by deep red, densely hairy petioles; a creeping rhizome at substrate level sends out fibrous roots and successive new leaves along the stem.

Native range

Sabah, Borneo (humid ultramatic rainforest understory)

Classification

Genus

Begonia

Family

Begoniaceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Rhizomatous, creeping

Morphology

Leaf shape

Asymmetric, bat-wing outline with winged silhouette

Leaf length

12-25 cm

Leaf width

10-20 cm

Petiole colour

Deep red, densely hairy

Venation

Visible on slightly glossy dark blade

Texture

Slightly leathery, glossy, dark olive to near-black

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Creeping rhizome producing fibrous roots and new leaves along stem