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mark4321_gw

Questions about a plant labeled B. kallermanii hybrid

mark4321_gw
11 years ago

Hi,

I just bought a plant at the monthly sale at the SF Botanical Garden (Strybing), labeled "B. kallermanii hybrid". It was $12 for a good sized plant in a 1 gallon pot. I'm curious if anyone knows anything about this Begonia or similar ones.

I also have some specific questions:

I'm thinking about keeping it outside in a heavily sheltered spot that should be frost free. It looks like I could soon take a cutting as "insurance". Does this seem reasonable? I live on the Peninsula, about 25 miles South of San Francisco.

Is there a difference between B. kallermanii and B. peltata? Does there appear to be any difference between this plant and B. kallermanii (is it indeed a hybrid?)?

The plant is already big and is starting to branch heavily at the top. This will make it very top heavy. Should I cut back some of the new growth at some point? One possibility I was considering was to put it in a shady corner and let it sprawl up the walls if I can position it reasonably.

B. kallermanii hybrid from above:

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From the side (in a 1 gallon pot):

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B. kallermanii hybrid flowers:

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New growth/branching:

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Comments (4)

  • Woebegonia
    11 years ago

    I think this is misspelled, it should be 'kellermanii' and
    the Smithsonian says some authorities consider it conspecific with B. peltata so there likely is a resemblance. B. kellermannii is described as shrub like, with hairy leaves, flowers reportedly fragrant (this last is from the Thompson Guide) It seems to me it has been reported more sun tolerant than a lot of other begonias. I think it would be fine to take a cutting for insurance and just experiment with the way it grows.

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the correction. It's a misspelling/typo on my part, not the propagators at Strybing.

    Some of the info that I found seemed to indicate that the difference, if any, between B. kellermanii and B. peltata includes serrated leaves in the former.

    I just noticed that someone I know posted pictures of B. kellermanii on the "other" forum (whose name we can't mention...). Perhaps I should contact her and find out if she knows anything about this species.

    One source (I don't remember which and maybe it was for B. peltata) says that cuttings are difficult and it is best started from seed. I've found many "difficult" things easy to root and many "easy" things difficult, so we'll see. I have never dealt with Begonia seeds, but I will try to save some if it produces any. I found a detailed description (link below, probably well known on this forum) about producing seed and growing from seed. It sounds like a little manual intervention is necessary for self-pollination.

    So far to my untrained eye it looks identical to many of the photos of plants labeled kellermanii or peltata. I can't imagine it would be hybrid with anything significantly different from these species. If anyone disagrees please let me know.

    Here is a link that might be useful: ABS

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I don't know why GW zapped the name of the link above. I had typed: "ABS "Growing Begonias by Seed", written by Brad Thompson"

  • Woebegonia
    11 years ago

    I think I was incorrect to say the plant might be 'sun' tolerant, it is just that the plants with hairy or vestite leaves protect the plant a little from sun burn and also help it retain moisture. The only difference I found in the Smithsonian is that the outer male tepals of peltata are vestite and those of kellermanii are not. I think you can also check the Astrobranch site and ABS site for pictures of these species. If you are successful in selfing this plant for seeds, don't forget a hybrid may look different from its parent. Thanks for sharing those interesting pictures.