No idea what the giant could be without pictures. I saw some fairly good sized ones in Miami last year - around 5 to 6 foot tall. At a point they get gangly and I would cut it back. I have seen pictures of luxurians where the blooms were over 8 foot tall but wouldn't they be better if they were at the height of most people so we could get a close up view?

I would imagine parts of a begonia flower are like most any flower but haven't really gotten into it that much. Most (maybe all) begonias have male flowers and female flowers and there are experts who can ID a lot of begonias by the flowers.

Try this site for an idea on flower parts.

ABASTRO

The Begonian (by the ABS) has had some pictures/nomenclature of flowers in the past.

Thanks hcmcdole,
See, they're out of style...You think so too... :]
This one had leaves from the pot up, and flowers on the top half! It was in good light. There were several around.
I will be willing to take the 8' cuttings when it's time to [cut into lengths].

I saw it out west, years ago, no camera unfortunately. Sigh.

Thanks for the link. The Begonia Society,and Begonian, only have room for a few pictures of tall ones. The nomenclature lists don't have a diagram yet

I've poked around a while, and googled a lot.

What greenhouses/ suppliers, might carry tall canes?

The part of the flower behind the blossom's petals, that looks like a long starfruit, is that an ovary? a calyx? In a whole lot of umbels it is a lovely effect. These extra long ridged thingies, are especially nice. There ought to be a way to talk about comparing the features, of flowers, from umbel to umbel. At least I know that a B.'s flatheaded bunches, are umbels.
Is Lucerna the same as Coccinea, or are there various cultivars floating around?
Hoping some folks will have more ideas. florey

Off the top of my (pointed) head, I seem to remember that coccinea may be one parent of Lucerna. I'll look it up. There are a number of very good sources for lots of begonias, from short to tall--seems to me right now Kartuz Greenhouses has about as many as anyone, and has pictures of most. Lauray of Salisbury has a lot, but no pictures. She does tell you how high they're going to grow if I recall correctly (always have to add that caveat!) There are quite a number, and the ABS lists some. I think the tall ones are great when you have room, but that's of course the biggest problem. I can grow the big ones in the ground most years, but seem to have lost Lucerna (again! sigh) to the strange weather this last 'winter'. I had it get easily five or six feet tall one year (in the ground) with leaves all the way down and loads of bloom.

Thanks Greenelbows, If Coccinea has coral umbels, that may be it. It had lobed leaves with a stripey effect. They said it was a very early angel wing. I have my eye on a couple of others at Kartuz, and have been checking out the suppliers on other threads.

Room for growing is one thing, Room for pictues is another.
It's nice to have in one photo, a sense of the growth habit, the leaves, and the flowers. A tall plant is hard to capture, in one or two photos. More than one picture of a plant complicates an index or gallery. So, it's a little hard to get a full idea of what a big one is like.

Does digging up a begonia work for the fall, or would you have to take cuttings? I'm assuming there might be too many bug and soil germ problems. Oh, in LA, you can leave them in.

They can be dug, sprayed or otherwise treated for the bugs, probably best to cut them back some. Since they usually do well left out here, but sometimes don't, I like to take cuttings for insurance. Do that with quite a few things besides begonias actually. Still have trouble with space, even with cuttings!

Tallest canes? Here in Tampa Bay, I "keep" my tallest canes cut and maintained at 5-6 feet. Some in the ground reach 6-8 feet without much care. I currently have one that I cannot reach the tallest flower on. eBay has some offered FYI you just have to go check back every so often. Large canes are heavy feeders and my largest is in a 15 gallon pot or bigger (I lost track) so be careful before they take over! Greg

Oh Bliss ! A winding path, through a jungle of tall, and fabulous, begonias, yearning to be fed ! Umbellous fireworks, colorful, swirly leaves,and good habits, calling FEED ME !

I didn't know that they are really heavy feeders, or that you could go to huge pots. It does stand to reason. There are warnings about huge pots, and rots. Soils, hmmm.

Space is about making do in the winter, but also about priorities. Height, umbels, easy, lobed leaves, beauty and awe, all rate high here. Can you tell I really like these? I do feel like cinderella's stepsister, with a shoehorn sometimes, trying to find the best space for a plant.

The pine bark based soil, from a greenhouse, is very fine now.
I'm afraid of botrytis,and may have seen a spot or two, helped by reacting quickly with neem or tea. Winter problems here include best humidity and light, and cat attacks .
I'm debating getting some clay pellets, [I'll start another thread on that].
Thanks for all the input, And Greg, you sure have some lovely begonias. Thank you for such a beneficial hobby.