I've been trying to figure out what Steve here is for a while now with no luck and was wondering if the good folks on the UBC Botanical Garden forum could help. He's got dark green leaves with white spots and redish underbellies. The biggest leaves right now are about 28cm/9in long. He's been growing like a weed since I brought him to work with me. He's from cuttings from a plant my mother's had for decades that, when I cut it, was a good meter and a half tall with a whopping three leaves on the end of each stalk. Now he's growing great guns but the stalks aren't getting any wider so he can't support himself. I've been trying to do research to find out how to get him to grow stalkier but that's difficult to do without identifying the little guy first! Does anyone know what he is, and how to encourage him to grow so he supports himself? I don't want to end up with the same plant my mom had, insanely tall and skinny and held up via string from the ceiling! Thanks in advance!
Steve is a Begonia. Possibly a cane begonia. It is in the nature of the plant to grow tall. Not a very good name for a plant that produces beautiful flowers! http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1...ch:1&sa=1&q=cane+begonia&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq= http://www.greenzonelife.com/flowering-plants/begonia.html
Agree (as always) with Silver surfer's impeccable ID. Hmm...as for the name, I dunno. Our own sorely missed Steve Lucas was known to produce some remarkably lovely blooms!
Thanks togata for your kind commemts. This is from The American Begonia soc. It may help to pin it down further. ( or not) Very difficult without seeing a pic of the flowers. http://www.begonias.org/Articles/Vol47/CaneLikeBegonias.htm
Well, that would explain why I'd never found what he was in my searches-- I was never looking for flowering plants because neither Steve or Steve Sr. ever had a single flower. Maybe now that he's released from my mother's plant-maiming clutches he might show us what he's got. Thanks! I guess I'll get myself a good tall dowel and just tie him up if he gets too floppy, and keep pinching him back.
I'd probably call it Spot instead of Steve. Maybe it would respond to a change of title by flowering.
Haha Well he was just named Steve when I potted him from the cuttings maybe four months ago, and he's been growing like mad since then, so I'm not going to mess with a good thing ;) Besides, Steve's a pretty name*. Is there some former much-loved plant named Steve that my Steve is encroaching upon? *points to anyone who gets the reference.
Over the Hedge. I'd keep on calling it Steve. I have a large Begonia of the same type named Fred, and he is a lovely bloomer.
lorax got it right with Over the Hedge. Hammy was talking about the hedge and how he wanted to name it Steve because it was a pretty name :D
