Species
by Brad Thompson
Species begonias are begonias that grow in the wild
somewhere in the world. There are several hundred species of
begonias in the world, many still waiting to be discovered. Many
species of begonias have been in cultivation for a few hundred years
however. They come in the full range of cultural
requirements. Some are nearly indestructible and some may require
terrarium care.
Unlike hybrid begonias, which were developed specifically
for our gardens and homes, species begonias evolved over eons to adapt
to the specific climate where they live. Many can be a challenge
to grow but nearly all species can be grown if you keep in mind their
native habitat.
Species begonias also have a plus in their favor in that
they can be grown true from seed unlike the hybrids which must be
propagated by cuttings. (note of interest; the word species
is both singular and plural. One plant is a species and a group
of species are species. There is no specie. I’ve commonly
seen someone say “I have a begonia specie” but correctly it should be
“I have a begonia species”.)
The Importance of Growing Species
Just like tigers and other endangered animals, begonias
are also endangered in the wild as their habitat is being
destroyed. Some species are so specialized that they only grow in
a single valley in some tropical area. It’s important to include
species in your begonia collections in order to keep them from becoming
extinct. Many species only exist in cultivation and are already
extinct in the wild. It’s only due to dedicated begonia
enthusiasts that many species are still around.
Not all species are beautiful or make pretty plants but
each has genetic traits that may be important in the future.
There are beautiful species to be sure. Some of the most
beautiful begonias are species that rival even the most spectacular
hybrids. All the species are special and need to be preserved to
the best of our ability. Even the plainer species can fill niches
in our yards and homes where other begonias might not do well.
Responsibilities of Growing Species
Many begonia growers grow numerous species of begonias and
treat them like all their other begonias. They just enjoy
them. Although enjoying them is part of the reason for growing
them you should take a more responsible approach. The following
is a list of suggestions for growing species responsibly if your aim is
to help keep them in cultivation and save them from extinction.
1. Names. You
should make every effort to make sure your species are properly
identified and named. Improperly or misnamed species being
circulated doesn’t help in their preservation. It only adds an
element of confusion. If you have a species that can’t be
identified don’t circulate it to others until you can identify it at
some later date. Make sure you stay as current as possible as to
name changes for species you may have. Many species have been
given several names by mistake and it’s an ongoing project to determine
their proper names. Make sure the spelling of your species name
is correct and make sure that when shared with others, those are
properly labeled also.
2. Sharing and conserving your
species. If you have species begonias in your collection,
make a concerted effort to share them with others. Keeping rare
plants to yourself will only come back to haunt you in the end.
If you lose your one of a kind or rare species, you’ll have no one to
get it back from if you didn’t share. So, if for no other than
selfish reasons, you should always share. Make especially sure to
share them first with people who are good growers, people that will
keep them labeled correctly, and people that will continue the
sharing. Make a concerted effort to propagate new plants of all
your species so you have duplicates. This will give you a backup
for when you lose one and you’ll also have the extras around to share
with friends. When you start plants for club sales, don’t forget
to start plants of your species for those also.
3. Grow some of the plainer
species. Make room in your collection for some of the less
exciting species. You don’t have to give them your prime
areas. Everyone has a corner or out of the way spot. Tall
rangy growing species can be used as background plants even.
Besides, even some of the plain ones may surprise you with awesome
flowers you weren’t expecting. You might even find they work in
an area where you’ve had trouble growing other begonias. If you
do hybridizing, you may also find that some of the plainer species have
desirable traits you can use.
4. Watch for new species.
Try to add new species to your collection as you find them at various
sales and other people’s homes. You can also acquire new species
by finding and growing seed. This is an inexpensive way to add to
your collection and also have extra plants to share. Try to make
finding species and preserving as many as you have room for a personal
goal.
5. Get others involved.
Make an attempt to get other begonia growers interested in growing
species. Getting others interested will help keep you
interested. This can be as involved as you want, any involvement
is better than none. It can be as simple as just suggesting to
friends that they grow species to as involved as joining a species
preservation group or starting your own.
6. Keep a list. Make
a concerted effort to always keep an updated list of the species in
your collection. This will help you keep track of what you
have. It will also help in being able to let others know which
species you’re growing and preserving. By sharing and comparing
your list with other grower’s lists it will help provide a basis for
knowing what species are in cultivation. You may find that some
species you’ve been growing for years and thought common is the only
one. There have been many efforts in the past to build a database
of species, growers and locations. These efforts have largely
failed because growers don’t keep a list that can be shared with anyone
trying to compile the information. Only list plants that are
correctly identified positively and that you’ve been growing long
enough to know you can keep them in cultivation, at least for sharing
with others.
7. Set Seed. Setting
seed on your species begonias is one of the most important things you
can do to help preserve them. This seed can later but used for
various seed banks and seed funds to help preserve and circulate
species. It doesn’t take a large amount of effort to
self-pollinate a few flower clusters on your species when they’re in
bloom. They do need to be hand pollinated however to assure that
any seed created is pure. Flowers pollinated on species by
insects or wind may not be pure. Although all begonia growers
should belong to The American Begonia Society, if you don’t, you can
still donate your seed to their seed fund. The address and info
for sending and setting seed will follow later in this chapter.
8. Show your species begonias. If you live in an area where
there are begonias clubs that have local shows, enter some of your
species. This is a good way to get other begonia growers
interested in growing the species. It also lets people see the
charm and diversity of species begonias. Species commonly win
best in show at begonia shows because many can be a challenge to grow
as a “show” plant. There are just as many that aren’t a challenge
though and besides showing is the important part, not whether you win
anything.
9. For the dedicated.
If you want an extra challenge that takes a little more dedication,
keep a notebook on your species. Many species have very little
written down about them and any information you keep track of on your
species could be helpful to other growers. You can also include
in this notebook information you gather from other sources as a
reference for yourself.
Creating, Finding, and Sharing Seed
Creating Seed
Creating seed on species begonias is a reasonably simple
process. For specific or a more detailed description refer to the
chapter on seed. Species need to be hand pollinated to ensure the
seed is true to the species. Seed formed by mother nature could
be natural hybridizing so that seed shouldn’t be collected. Hand
pollinating a species with pollen of the same species is called
selfing. Selfing is short for self-pollinating.
Ideally it’s best to use pollen from another plant of the
same species than to use the pollen off the same plant. If you
only have the one plant of the species, then using it’s own pollen is
still acceptable. The reason for using two different plants if
possible is for genetic diversity. Although species come true
from seed, each plant does have minor genetic differences. Just
like with animals, it’s better not to inbreed if it can be
avoided. In can result in weaker strains of species or give rise
to mutations. Selfing a species with the pollen from the same
plant is however better than not doing any selfing. When selfing,
try to pollinate several clusters of flowers so that you collect a good
supply of seed to share at the end of the process.
Finding Seed
Although various seed catalogs do carry a limited amount of some
species, the mostly likely sources are fellow begonia growers and The
Clayton M. Kelly Seed Fund. The seed fund is only available to
members of The American Begonia Society. If you aren’t currently
a member, if you’re interested in finding begonia seed, it’s well worth
the membership fee just to have access to the seed fund. You’ll
find that by sharing your seed with other growers, they’ll be even more
willing to share species seed with you also. Other species
growers are a valuable source.
Sharing your seed
The best place to share your seed is the Clayton M. Kelly
Seed Fund. You don’t have to be a member of ABS in order to
donate your seed to the fund. They will accept all donations of
species seed.
To donate seed to the fund, send to:
AMERICAN
BEGONIA SOCIETY
CLAYTON M. KELLY SEED FUND
Michael Ludwig, Coordinator
6040 Upland St.
San Diego, CA. 92114-1933
Collecting and sending seed is a fairly simple
process. After collecting the seed pods of your species, allow
them to dry thoroughly. They are ready to collect once the stems
that attach the pods to the plant have started to shrivel up or the
pods have started to turn brown. If you take them sooner than
this, they won’t be developed enough. If you wait longer the pods
may dry fully and release their seed before you get them
collected. I put my seed pods in open film canisters or medicine
bottles to finish drying.
