LARGE-LEAVED WILD BEGONIA

The formal name of the Large-leaved Wild Begonia is Begonia homonyma, a plant which is endemic to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. How very fortunate I am to have a specimen still growing in my garden thirty-four years after my late mother found it while we were weeding what seemed like an impenetrable jungle! In the wild, these plants favour shady cliffs and forest banks in areas that are very dry during the winter.

Well, while we have been very dry for most of many years, this plant has plenty of shade and forest-like vegetation to surround it. Begonia homonyma is dormant in winter with only tubers remaining to sustain the growth – which would explain the odd panic I have experienced now and then when I thought it had finally succumbed! Male and female flowers grow on the same plant. The flowers have a bright splash of yellow at the centre.

Reference:

SMITH Gideon F., CROUCH, Neil R. and FIGUEIREDO E. 2017: Field Guide to Succulents in Southern Africa. Struik Nature.