Begonia ferox

The name is literal: Begonia ferox ('fierce') carries dark, conical, spine-like projections across the entire upper leaf surface, in a pattern that reads more like armour or reptile scales than foliage. Described by C.-I.Peng and Yan Liu from shaded karst limestone habitats in Guangxi, southern China, it grows on moist, humus-rich calcareous soil and in rock crevices at low to mid elevations. Deep green above with prominent venation, maroon to burgundy beneath, each thick, heavily bullate leaf is carried on a short, densely spiny petiole. Described only recently (2015), it has become one of the most sought-after collector begonias since, and remains difficult to source in the UK.

Native range

Guangxi, China (native to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, shaded karst limestone)

Classification

Genus

Begonia

Family

Begoniaceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Rhizomatous, creeping

Morphology

Leaf shape

Asymmetrical, broadly ovateEgg-shaped leaves, with the wider end near the base., heavily bullate

Leaf length

8-18 cm

Leaf width

7-15 cm

Petiole colour

Short, densely spiny

Venation

Prominent, with deeply sunken areas between bullae

Texture

Thick, heavily bullate with dark conical spine-like projections on upper surface; maroon-burgundy undersides

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Creeping rhizome with compact leaf arrangement