Begonia melanobullata
Black Bullate Begonia
Typical UK price
£20
Limited data
Price by size
- Sold, 90 days
- 0
- Middle half
- -
- Last sold
- 26 Jul 2026
- On record
- 1
Cutting/cormEstimate
7cm1 sold
12cmEstimate
MatureEstimate
- Sale
- Typical
- Middle half
- Estimate
for a 7cm pot
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes the prices we show.
Recent UK sales
For sale in the UK
By month
| Month | Median | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | £20 | 1 |
US eBay sold listings (not UK prices)
7 sold on ebay.com, 31 Jan 2026 to 18 Jun 2026, median US$53. These are not UK sales and are not in the UK price.
Begonia Melanobullata, Exact Plant!!!!
US$47 · 18 Jun 2026Begonia Melanobullata, Exact Plant!!!!
US$66 · 15 May 2026Begonia Melanobullata, Exact Plant!!!!
US$71 · 7 May 2026Begonia Melanobullata Starter Plant-Actual Plant
US$25 · 1 May 2026Begonia Melanobullata (Vietnam Ferox Rooted In 3" Pot)
US$27 · 20 Apr 2026Begonia Melanobullata, Exact Plant!!!!
US$69 · 8 Apr 2026Begonia Melanobullata GREEN FORM!! Exact Plant!!
US$53 · 31 Jan 2026
Before you buy
- Press the rhizome gently — it should feel firm throughout, with no soft or discoloured patches
- Check between the bullae and along leaf axils for mealybugs, which are easy to miss in the textured surface
- Look for a deeply glossy, well-bullate leaf surface rather than a flat or dull one
- Ask how it's been kept, since a plant moved straight from a closed terrarium into open room air will need a gradual acclimation period
About Begonia melanobullata
Black, conical bullae studding a deeply glossy dark leaf surface give Begonia melanobullata an almost armoured look — among the most heavily textured foliage in the genus. Described by Ardi and Thomas from humid lowland to hill forest in East Kalimantan, Borneo, it grows in warm, shaded rainforest understory on moist, humus-rich leaf litter with consistently high humidity. Red, hairy petioles carry each leaf from a creeping rhizome that roots along the substrate surface, forming compact forest-floor colonies. It's among the most sought-after of the black-foliage Bornean begonias.
Native range
East Kalimantan, Borneo (humid lowland to hill forest)
Classification
- Genus
- Begonia
- Family
- Begoniaceae
- Type
- Wild
- Growth habit
- Rhizomatous, creeping colony
Morphology
- Leaf shape
- Broadly ovateEgg-shaped leaves, with the wider end near the base., strongly bullate
- Leaf length
- 8-18 cm
- Leaf width
- 7-15 cm
- Petiole colour
- Red, hairy
- Venation
- Sunken between bullae
- Texture
- Dark, deeply glossy, with prominent black conical bullae on upper surface
- Variegation
- None
- Growth habit
- Creeping rhizome rooting along substrate surface
Begonia melanobullata care
- Substrate
- A very free-draining mix — 50% perlite, 30% potting compost, 20% orchid bark — is essential; the rhizome sits at the surface and rots quickly in anything that stays wet.
- Watering
- Let the top half of the substrate dry before watering again, and water at the base rather than over the rhizome itself. Rhizome rot, not underwatering, is what actually kills most of these in cultivation.
- Humidity
- Very high, 85-95%. A closed, humid enclosure is close to essential — this is a forest-floor colony species that rarely thrives long-term in open room air.
- Feeding
- Feed at quarter strength every 2-3 weeks through the growing season. These are slower, more deliberate growers than cane begonias and don't need or want heavy feeding.
- Repotting
- Repot every 12-18 months into a shallow, wide pot that matches the rhizome's spreading habit — never a deep pot, and never bury the rhizome itself.
Common problems
Rhizome rot
Cause: Substrate that stays wet, or a rhizome partially buried in compost
Fix: Cut back to firm, healthy tissue, let the wound callus, and keep the rhizome fully exposed at the surface going forward
Flattening bullae and dulling leaf gloss
Cause: Humidity too low for this heavily textured species
Fix: Move into a closed, humid enclosure rather than an open shelf or windowsill
Stalled growth after division
Cause: A division with too small a section of rhizome or too few roots
Fix: Keep divisions warm and humid until new growth resumes, which can take several weeks
Gear for this plant
- Natural Rooting Powder, 3 x 75gRooting hormone powder for stem and leaf cuttings.
- Precision Bonsai Pruning Scissors, 200mmFine-bladed snips for clean node cuts when taking a cutting.
- Humidity Dome, Heavy-Duty Germination KitVented propagation dome for holding humidity around fresh cuttings.
- Digital Hygrometer & ThermometerLCD humidity and temperature gauge for checking a grow spot against a plant's target range.
How to propagate Begonia melanobullata
- Methods
- Leaf cutting, Stem cutting, Rhizome division. Step-by-step guide
- Difficulty
- Easy. Forgiving of missed waterings, average home humidity, and imperfect light. A solid pick for beginners or low-fuss collections.
- Time to establish
- 3-5 months
- True from cuttings
- Yes. Cuttings keep the cultivar's character.
- Notes
- Divide the rhizome into sections with at least one growth point, or root leaf-with-petiole cuttings flat on moist substrate; plantlets form at the base of the petiole within a few weeks in consistently warm, humid conditions.