# Please help identify this Begonia!!!!



## Lbguz44 (Jul 14, 2015)

Hi guys, with your help I finished my 18 cubed vivarium. I am now starting to get it established with plants. Fortunately my friend has a bonsai Nursery stocked with all kinds of rare and unusual plants which she gave me to stock this viv, which are all thriving except this Begonia. Can you please help Identify it so I can see what the exact care requirements are? The flower is blooming and is looking nice, but I already lost one leaf and just removed the other today because it looked like it was getting a fungus. Sorry for the pics, I don't know how to rotate them...


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

I'm not an expert on begonias but I did notice that you have rooted cuttings of two shrubs in your vivarium. I don't know why stores sell the cuttings of these plants as house plants. I guess because they are easy to root? I just figured Id let you know how big these two can get:

The Colorful Croton Plant , Codiaeum variegatum, Joseph?s Coat Photos
I've seen these in Florida as tall as the house they are planted beside. 

https://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/9-5-05.html
A well meaning florist kept trying to give me polka dot plants for my vivariums until I showed her pictures of them grown as bushes.


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## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

I'm not a begonia expert either, but I do have three varieties. All three are house plants and are susceptible to powdery mildew in humid environments. I know that sounds weird because they are supposed to like humidity. But when mine get it they drop leaves like crazy and the leaves turn from a dark green to a pale green/yellow color. I'm just throwing out a wild guess that perhaps a vivarium for frogs might be too wet for the begonia you have (either humidity or maybe the soil is too wet for it).


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## Lbguz44 (Jul 14, 2015)

Thanks Okapi, I didn't realize how big they got, the only reason its in there is because my girlfriend saw it at the reptile expo and wanted it. I will.probably switch it out with something a bit more fun from blackjungle.
The begonia is already much better. I added a another light and watered a bit less and it looks like it stabalized.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

send a PM to Todd Slippey or to Groundhog with the begonia id---they are really good with begonias...


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Okapi said:


> I'm not an expert on begonias but I did notice that you have rooted cuttings of two shrubs in your vivarium. I don't know why stores sell the cuttings of these plants as house plants. I guess because they are easy to root? I just figured Id let you know how big these two can get:
> 
> The Colorful Croton Plant , Codiaeum variegatum, Joseph?s Coat Photos
> I've seen these in Florida as tall as the house they are planted beside.
> ...


That Hypoestes is not a shrub, it's hundreds, maybe even thousands of individual plants on a from that is filled with some sort of growing medium.


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## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

I might have an answer for you! I asked a friend of mine who owns a nursery; he said based on the picture it looked like a begonia fireglow (apparently because of the red stem). I've never heard of that one.


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## Jjl (Feb 2, 2014)

I don't have an ID for you, but I do know that while begonias appreciate humidity, they hate getting their leaves wet. Try adjusting your misting system (if it's automated) or try avoiding the begonia if you hand spray. Just my $0.02.


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## Lbguz44 (Jul 14, 2015)

Thank you everyone for the useful information. I'm looking into the begonia fireglow, I should be able to tell once it is fully in bloom to see if the flower and leaves match.
Jjl yes I read that too and adjusted the misting and it helped a lot. Judy S, I will reach out to him to see if he can confirm the begonia. 
Thank you!


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

tardis101 said:


> I might have an answer for you! I asked a friend of mine who owns a nursery; he said based on the picture it looked like a begonia fireglow (apparently because of the red stem). I've never heard of that one.


A quick google search tells me it is not fireglow, as that one is a tuberous hybrid.


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## Lbguz44 (Jul 14, 2015)

Thanks epiphytes. I agree that it didn't bare much resemblance to what I saw. I was trying to reach out to the guys that Judy S mentioned.


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## tardis101 (Apr 11, 2012)

epiphytes etc. said:


> A quick google search tells me it is not fireglow, as that one is a tuberous hybrid.


Well...i did google that just now and I got the same as you did. So I asked my friend again and he sent me the attached photo from the book "The House Plant Expert" by Dr. D. G. Hessayon. I honestly don't know. I'm just going off what he said (and now the picture).


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Looks an awful lot like Begonia fischeri.

You can see a specimen here...

Araflora, exotic flora & more - Begonia fischeri


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## Lbguz44 (Jul 14, 2015)

Frogtofall your a genius. That's it for sure. Everyone's help is really appreciated.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

Antone is recognized on DB (even though I've only been on DB for a few years) as one of the terrific plant people...and there are lots more...just look on the plant forum, and you can pretty easily pick them out....and the plant sponsors have very unusual specimens they will happily help you with....


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## Lbguz44 (Jul 14, 2015)

Thanks Judy. Yes I'm very happy I found this forum and now see why many enthusiast love their plants just as much as their frogs.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I have had terrariums where the frogs were the decoration.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

epiphytes etc. said:


> That Hypoestes is not a shrub, it's hundreds, maybe even thousands of individual plants on a from that is filled with some sort of growing medium.


I stand corrected, thank you.


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