begonia

begonia
/bi gohn"yeuh, -goh"nee euh/, n.
any tropical plant belonging to the genus Begonia, including species cultivated for the handsome, succulent leaves and waxy flowers.
[ < NL (Linnaeus), named after Michel Bégon (1638-1710), French patron of science; see -IA]

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Any of about 1,000 species (genus Begonia) of mostly succulent, tropical or subtropical plants, many with colourful flowers or leaves and used as potted plants indoors or as garden plants.

Begonias come in a bewildering array of cultivated varieties. The wax begonia (B. semperflorens) is the most popular for use as a summer bedding plant; angelwing begonias are characterized by their tall stems; hairy begonias have feltlike leaves. Most begonias are tender and intolerant of dry conditions; they require protection from strong sunlight.

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plant
 (genus Begonia, family Begoniaceae), any of about 1,000 species of mostly rather succulent plants, many with colourful flowers or leaves and used as pot plants indoors or as garden plants. They are from the tropics and subtropics. Prominent features are their usually four-coloured tepals (petals and sepals together) in two pairs of different sizes and the three wings on the ovaries of the female flowers. Flower colours are pink, red, yellow, or white, with the ovary below of the same colour. The usually lopsided, alternate leaves are variable in shape and in colour on different forms.

      The more than 10,000 recorded cultivated varieties of begonias—mostly of hybrid origin—present a bewildering array of forms. Most varieties are included in one of three large groups: fibrous-rooted, rhizomatous, or tuberous-rooted.

      Fibrous-rooted begonias can be further divided into the wax, or bedding, begonias (Semperflorens-Cultorum group), including the offshoots of B. semperflorens used most often as summer bedding plants; the so-called cane stem types (angelwing begonias), characterized by their tall stems; and the hairy begonias, which have feltlike leaves.

      Rhizomatous begonias include the rex, or beefsteak, begonias (Rex-Cultorum group), including offshoots of B. rex and allied species, prized for their brightly coloured and patterned leaves.

      Tuberous-rooted begonias include the Tuberhybrida group, grown outdoors for their large and colourful flowers from early summer to first frost, and the greenhouse begonias that bloom during the winter. The latter are subdivided into the Cheimantha group, derived from crosses between B. socotrana and B. dregei, and the Elatior group, derived from crosses between B. socotrana and tuberous Andean species.

      The Tuberhybrida group includes the following types based on flower characteristics or growth habit: single (single-flowered); crispa, with frilled tepals; cristata, with crested tepals; narcissiflora (daffodil-flowered); camellia (camellia-flowered); ruffled camellia; rosebud, with a raised rosebudlike centre; fimbriata plena (carnation-flowered); picotee, camellia-form with tepals showing colour shading; marginata, tepals edged in colour different from the dominant; marmorata, camellia-form, rose-coloured, and blotched with white; pendula, hanging-basket plants; and multiflora, compact bushy plants with many small flowers.

      Most begonias are tender plants, intolerant of dry conditions and requiring protection from strong sunlight.

      The genus was named for Michel Bégon (1638–1710), governor of Santo Domingo and a patron of botany.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Begonia — Bégonia Bégonias …   Wikipédia en Français

  • bégonia — [ begɔnja ] n. m. • 1706; de Bégon, nom d un intendant de Saint Domingue ♦ Plante d Amérique tropicale (bégoniacées), ornementale, cultivée pour ses fleurs. Bégonia tubéreux. Bégonia rose. Bégonia double, à fleurs doubles. ♢ Loc. fam. Charrier… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Begonia — ist: der wissenschaftliche Name der Pflanzengattung der Begonien ein im Jahr 1920 von Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth entdeckter Asteroid, siehe (943) Begonia Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demse …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • begonia — 1751, from Fr. begonia (1706), named by Plumier for Michel Bégon (1638 1710), French governor of Santo Domingo (Haiti) and patron of botany …   Etymology dictionary

  • begônia — s. f. [Botânica] Planta originária das regiões quentes, cultivada pela sua folhagem decorativa e pelas suas flores vivamente coloridas.   ♦ Grafia em Portugal: begónia …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • begónia — s. f. [Botânica] Planta originária das regiões quentes, cultivada pela sua folhagem decorativa e pelas suas flores vivamente coloridas.   ♦ Grafia no Brasil: begônia …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • begonia — sustantivo femenino 1. Género Begonia. Planta perenne, de grandes hojas en forma de corazón y flores pequeñas de colores vistosos que se utiliza como planta de adorno. 2. Flor de esta planta: Las begonias no me gustan tanto como a ti …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • begonia — (Del fr. bégonia). f. Planta perenne, originaria de América, de la familia de las Begoniáceas, de unos cuatro decímetros de altura, con tallos carnosos, hojas grandes, acorazonadas, dentadas, de color verde bronceado por encima, rojizas y con… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • begonia — [bi gōn′yə] adj. [ModL, after M. Bégon (1638 1710), Fr governor of Santo Domingo & a patron of science] designating a family (Begoniaceae, order Violales) of dicotyledonous tropical plants n. any of a genus (Begonia) of plants of this family,… …   English World dictionary

  • Begonia — Be*go ni*a (b[ e]*g[=o] n[i^]*[.a]), n. [From Michel Begon, a promoter of botany.] (Bot.) A genus of plants, mostly of tropical America, many species of which are grown as ornamental plants. The leaves are curiously one sided, and often exhibit… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Begonĭa — (B. L., Schiefblatt, wegen der rothen Adern der Blätter auch Lebensbaum genannt), Pflanzengattung, welche die Familie der Begoniaeêen (s.d.) bildet, zur Monocle Polyandrie L. Von Plumier nach Michael Begon, Intendanten auf S. Domingo benannt.… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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