Hi There, I am looking for some expert help in IDing a houseplant that was given to me as a cutting. The plant has green roundish lily pad shaped leaves that are kind of waxy and very shiny with a star pattern on the leaf that centers at the stem. The undersides of the leaves are red and broken leaves root quickly and easily in water. Here is a link to a picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/redroofbluedoor/4886884013/ Thanks in advance for you help :) Jaime
Hi There, Well I managed to track down my plant with resources listed elsewhere on this forum. My plant is a Begonia Semperflorens. Thanks anyway. Jaime
Welcome JaimeG. Yes, you have a Begonia. However, I would not like to say from your pic which one it is, without a pic of the flower.There are so many different ones. Begonia semperflorens is normally grown outside as an annual bedding plant. You may have a different Begonia. All grow easily from leaf cuttings. http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:110&biw=1255&bih=537 http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...ge=3&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:45&tx=88&ty=72 http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=e...=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1255&bih=537
Thanks for the link...I'll have to see if I can get it to bloom. I don't know much about the care and feeding of begonias, but now that I know what king of plant I've got, I can begin my education! A friend of mine recently gave me this begonia in the form of a cutting from her "mystery" plant when I admired it. She received the cutting from a friend who had inherited the plant from a elderly lady, who had had the plant for many decades. It is currently growing in a cascade, so I am going to re-pot it into a hanging basket. If you have any begonia tips for me, I'll happily accept them! Thanks, Jaime
Don't over-water it, and keep it away from the direct sun of a south-facing window. I've had two like yours in small pots for many years, about 10 feet from the window in a bright south-facing room. Some times they look great and sometimes not. When they're looking pale, I remember to add fertilizer to the water. One of them gets regularly over-watered, so then it has to recover. Mine haven't flowered - I think I'd need to change the soil now and then and have them closer to the light, but I just like the leaves. There are fertilizers specifically formulated for plants like begonias and azaleas that like acid soil. I forget what else is in that category - several houseplants that I happened to have. I haven't given mine anything special for a long time, though.
