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Open to swaps

@velvetynn

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Begonia collector, currently in N. EU.
The Earth belongs to millions of species, not just one!

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Looking at cultivation and production guides, as well as experiments, like this incredibly thorough one, by Ka Yeon Jeong: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=osu1407145710&disposition=inline

it seems that a lot of the Begonias we commonly grow are pretty happy around pH 5.5-6.5.

But with 2,200+ species found in all kinds of environments and substrates, I think we really need more data.

#begoniacultivation #begoniahealth #substrateph by @velvetynn

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20 hours ago

#begonia #begoniaconservation #speciesconservation #begoniahybrid #begoniaspecies by @velvetynn

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2 months ago

Small overview of how I propagate begonias for those who got plants from me this year. I propagate year-round in a low-cost setup. Do you have any tips? I’d be so happy to hear them!
#begoniapropagation by @velvetynn

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2 months ago

🍀 Looking for leaf and offshoot swaps. Open to all species!
1. B. aketajawensis
2. B. amphioxus
3. B. angularis
4. B. arachnoidea
5. B. atricha
6. B. barsalouxiae
7. B. beijnenii
8. B. bipinnatifida
9. B. blancii
10. B. bogneri
11. B. aff. bonii
12. B. brevirimosa
13. B. bullatifolia
14. B. burkillii
15. B. caramoanensis
16. B. cathayana
17. B. chloroneura
18. B. chlorosticta
19. B. cleopatrae
20. B. curtisii
21. B. dietrichiana
22. B. dinhdui
23. B. dracopelta
24. B. dryadis
25. B. erectocarpa
26. B. ferox
27. B. goegoensis
28. B. gracilicyma
29. B. hahiepiana
30. B. handelii
31. B. henryi
32. B. herbacea
33. B. hitchcockii
34. B. hoehneana
35. B. hydrocotylifolia
36. B. hymenophylla
37. B. imperialis
38. B. inggitiae
39. B. integrifolia
40. B. jingxiensis
41. B. kapuashuluensis
42. B. kingiana Small Forn
43. B. koksunii
44. B. kui
45. B. lichenora
46. B. locii
47. B. lubbersii
48. B. lugonis
49. B. lukuana
50. B. luzhaiensis
51. B. malachosticta
52. B. masoniana
53. B. metachroa
54. B. murina
55. B. negrosensis
56. B. ningmingensis
57. B. olivacea
58. B. picta
59. B. polygonoides
60. B. prismatocarpa
61. B. pseudoedulis
62. B. pteridoides
63. B. rajah
64. B. rex
65. B. rigidifolia
66. B. rockii
67. B. rubiteae
68. B. ruthiae
69. B. scapigera
70. B. subacida
71. B. susaniae
72. B. taiwaniana
73. B. tanjiewhoei
74. B. tuberculosa
75. B. variabilis
76. B. vittariifolia
77. B. wiformis
78. B. wrayi
79. sp. 'Dotted Tree'
80. sp. Keranji
81. sp. Lidi / sp. Senai
82. sp. Mantuk
83. sp. Miri
84. sp. Ngoc Lac
85. sp. Padang Lawas
86. sp. Sarawak
87. sp. Sarawak 'Spots'
88. sp. Saripoi
89. sp. Sumatra Utara
90. sp. Yamor
91. U497
92. U540
93. U639
94. U679
95. U683
96. U687
#plantswapeurope #begoniaeurope by @velvetynn

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6 months ago

(Part 4 of 4, from B. pringlei to B. wui-senioris. Full PDF version: https://archive.org/details/begonias-in-eu-collections-06-04-2026).

___The table of ~390 Begonia species with confirmed IDs in European collections, now includes leaf photos and info on wild populations, when available.

Thanks to the 15 growers who contributed and submitted their species!

___The collections are obscured in the images for privacy.
If you´d like to join this collaborative table, to find swaps etc. feel free to PM me for the link.

The actual number of species in european collections, bot. gardens included, is likely 550+.

This is a draft version, so please point out any mistakes that you find!

___Main resources:

1.Plants of the World Online https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327437-2

2.Botanic Gardens Conservation International:
https://plantsearch.bgci.org/search?filter[family]=Begoniaceae&filter[cultivar_status]=exclude&filter[hybrid_status]=exclude&sort=name&page=

3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility https://www.gbif.org/species/2874710

4.Jungle Leaves Nursery (excellent for houseplant growing advice, complete cultivation infos can be found on their website): https://www.jungle-leaves.de/product-category/begonia/begonias-terrarium/?lang=en

Thanks to Kuro Wili for the leaf photos, as well as contributors from iNaturalist and Wikimedia.
#begoniagrowers #rarebegonia #begoniacollection #begoniapromethea #begoniaquadrialata by @velvetynn

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6 months ago

(Part 3 of 4, from B. kui to B. princeps. Full PDF version: https://archive.org/details/begonias-in-eu-collections-06-04-2026).

___The table of ~390 Begonia species with confirmed IDs in European collections, now includes leaf photos and info on wild populations, when available.

Thanks to the 15 growers who contributed and submitted their species!

___The collections are obscured in the images for privacy.
If you´d like to join this collaborative table, to find swaps etc. feel free to PM me for the link.

The actual number of species in european collections, bot. garden included, is likely 550+.

This is a draft version, so please point out any mistakes that you find!

___Main resources:

1.Plants of the World Online https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327437-2

2.Botanic Gardens Conservation International:
https://plantsearch.bgci.org/search?filter[family]=Begoniaceae&filter[cultivar_status]=exclude&filter[hybrid_status]=exclude&sort=name&page=

3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility https://www.gbif.org/species/2874710

4.Jungle Leaves Nursery (excellent for houseplant growing advice, complete cultivation infos can be found on their website): https://www.jungle-leaves.de/product-category/begonia/begonias-terrarium/?lang=en

Thanks to Kuro Wili for the leaf photos, as well as contributors from iNaturalist and Wikimedia.
#begoniagrowers #begonialawar #begonialubbersii #begonialugonis #rarebegonia #begoniamabberleyana #begoniamaestrensis by @velvetynn

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6 months ago

(Part 2 of 4, from B. edulis to B. komoensis. Full PDF version: https://archive.org/details/begonias-in-eu-collections-06-04-2026).

___The table of ~390 Begonia species with confirmed IDs in European collections, now includes leaf photos and info on wild populations, when available.

Thanks to the 15 growers who contributed and submitted their species!

___The collections are obscured in the images for privacy.
If you´d like to join this collaborative table, to find swaps etc. feel free to PM me for the link.

The actual number of species in european collections, bot. garden included, is likely 550+.

This is a draft version, so please point out any mistakes that you find!

___Main resources:

1.Plants of the World Online https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327437-2

2.Botanic Gardens Conservation International:
https://plantsearch.bgci.org/search?filter[family]=Begoniaceae&filter[cultivar_status]=exclude&filter[hybrid_status]=exclude&sort=name&page=

3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility https://www.gbif.org/species/2874710

4.Jungle Leaves Nursery (excellent for houseplant growing advice, complete cultivation infos can be found on their website): https://www.jungle-leaves.de/product-category/begonia/begonias-terrarium/?lang=en

Thanks to Kuro Wili for the leaf photos, as well as contributors from iNaturalist and Wikimedia.
#begoniagrowers #begoniaengleri #begoniaepipsila #begoniaerectotricha #begoniaerminea #begoniafordii #begoniafurfuracea by @velvetynn

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6 months ago

(Part 1 of 4, from B. aborensis to B. echinosepala. Full PDF version: https://archive.org/details/begonias-in-eu-collections-06-04-2026).

___The table of ~390 Begonia species with confirmed IDs in European collections, now includes leaf photos and info on wild populations, when available.

Thanks to the 15 growers who contributed and submitted their species!

___The collections are obscured in the images for privacy.
If you´d like to join this collaborative table, to find swaps etc. feel free to PM me for the link.

The actual number of species in european collections, bot. garden included, is likely 550+.

This is a draft version, so please point out any mistakes that you find!

___Main resources:

1.Plants of the World Online https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327437-2

2.Botanic Gardens Conservation International:
https://plantsearch.bgci.org/search?filter[family]=Begoniaceae&filter[cultivar_status]=exclude&filter[hybrid_status]=exclude&sort=name&page=

3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility https://www.gbif.org/species/2874710

4.Jungle Leaves Nursery (excellent for houseplant growing advice, complete cultivation infos can be found on their website): https://www.jungle-leaves.de/product-category/begonia/begonias-terrarium/?lang=en

Thanks to Kuro Wili for the leaf photos, as well as contributors from iNaturalist and Wikimedia.
#begoniagrowers #begoniaidentification #begonia #begoniaspecies #begoniaconservation #begoniahabitat #wildbegonias #rarebegonia #endangeredplants #endangeredbegonia #begoniacollection #begoniaacetosa #begoniaaequatorialias #begoniaalbidula #begoniaambodiforahensis #begoniabogneri #extinctbegonias #extinctplants by @velvetynn

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6 months ago

Around 390 begonia species have been submitted to the shared spreadsheet of European Begonia species growers.

If you’d like to add your own, to find swaps or replacements for a lost species, feel free to message me!

Many thanks to Kuro Wili for the leaf photos, as well as contributors from iNaturalist and Wikimedia.

Collage of leaves of the submitted species:

https://archive.org/details/begonias_in_eu_col_d

Feedback welcome-especially if you spot any mistakes!

The link will be updated.

#begoniacollection #begoniaidentification #begoniaid by @velvetynn

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8 months ago

If you’re growing terrarium begonias, you’re likely familiar with these 2: root mealybugs (Rhizoecus) and white springtails (Folsomia), latest are sold by terrarium shops as part of a terrarium clean-up crew.

Here they are side by side to help differentiate them. The mealybug will change shape slightly as it goes through various developmental stages (&in first stages it´s only half mm in size), in general it appears much less mobile, less narrow, less translucent.

Springtails usually jump when disturbed, mealybugs tend to fall off or try to hide in crevices.

To avoid them, it is important to quarantine all new plants in transparent containers where you can observe the underground parts of the plant.

Use 1 container per plant rather than putting all new plants together in a box. A quarantine container can be quickly made by reusing a milkshake cup, a salad bowl with a lid, or a plastic bucket. Propagate new leaves, after washing them under running water with a brush, as mealies crawl in search of aerial roots.

Skipping this is likely to cause an outbreak months later; in my experience, ca. 10% of plants from private collections and small nurseries had pests.

By looking at the plot operational notes of large growers, one can see how many treatments plants undergo to keep pest populations low. Often, 3-10 pesticide products (incl. fungicides) are used per season, quite different from small-scale growing.

So it’s no surprise that one occasionally gets root-knot nematodes from terrarium plant growers, spider mites from jewel orchid growers, mealybugs from Hoya growers, as well as aphids, scales, and thrips.

One of the most skilled growers of terrarium begonias, @insearchofsmallthings writes:

“Many (and perhaps even most) growers and collectors are unknowingly distributing root mealybugs. The period of time it takes for root mealies to become easily detectable can range from 6–18 months. Therefore, a quarantine period that allows for the upper limit to be reached is ideal. A plant can appear healthy for more than a year while still hosting Rhizoecus. A 30–60× jeweler’s loupe is a very helpful tool for identifying pests.”
#begoniahealth #rhizoecus by @velvetynn

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9 months ago

I will try to focus on propagating Begonia lugonis this year, a vulnerable species from Ecuador, found at around 1000 m altitude. It has been dying during heatwaves in cultivation and it´s prone to rot.

In microscope shots of the seed pods one can see:
1. Seeds, only the plump and amber/brown colored ones are normally viable.

2. Glandular trichomes, they produce chemical compounds that help the plant defend itself.

3. Due to high humidity, mold is quickly covering all the drying parts; it appears to be mostly Acremonium fungus, which seems to be neutral, but said to also opportunistically colonize weakened tissue.

#begonialugonis #threatenedplants #acremonium #fungus #plantmicroscopy #begoniaseeds by @velvetynn

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a year ago

Once, I tested as a spray a chemical fungicide of the strobilurin type. A few begonias out of about 20 species showed this leaf damage afterward.

On top of that, my mask didn’t seem to protect me well, I ended up coughing with flushed cheeks a few hours later.

Nowadays I´m using only biofungicides like Trichoderma and Bacillus, though I’d still like to try some slow-release fungicides (very hard to find in the EU) that can be inserted in substrate to move systemically through the leaves and the seed pods, just to be sure that the motherplants that will be propagated are free of potentially problematic endophytes.

Phytotoxicity damage, if compared to pathogen damage:
-looks more uniform in color and shape, without yellow halos
-spots don´t expand or increase in number

#begoniadisorders #plantdisorders
#phytotoxicity by @velvetynn

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a year ago