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mark4321_gw

What is the ID of the Begonia in this painting?

mark4321_gw
11 years ago

I'm curious what the ID is of the Begonia in the painting "Woman with Plants" by Grant Wood. Wood is the painter best known for "American Gothic". I'll give a link to the full painting at the bottom.

Here's the Begonia in the painting:

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Note that the leaves are large compared to the size of her hands. So they look 6 inches, maybe, across (?) I did a little searching, and the closest thing I found was Begonia hydrocotylefolia (at least some pictures of this species, while others (Kartuz photo) have markings that make it look different). However, my impression is that that species would be significantly smaller than what is depicted in the painting.

If someone grows whatever the species/hybrid depicted in the painting, I could to send a rooted cutting of either Begonia luxurians or Impatiens namchabarwensis (blue Impatiens) in exchange for an unrooted cutting. I could send both for an rooted cutting. Or I could substitute other things if those are not of interest.

If someone can ID this Begonia I would be happy to send one of those rooted cuttings in exchange for postage.

I just received a beautiful division which traces back to the original Sanseveria owned by the woman in the painting (the artist's mother). Unless it's a hybrid, I assume the Begonia clone may be lost. However, it would still be fun to track down whatever plant it is.

Here is a link that might be useful:

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