Begonia dregei

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Begonia dregei
Begonia dregei (Scott Zona) 001.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Begoniaceae
Genus: Begonia
Species:
B. dregei
Binomial name
Begonia dregei
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Augustia dregei(Otto & A.Dietr.) Klotzsch
    • Augustia natalensisKlotzsch
    • Augustia suffruticosa(Meisn.) Klotzsch
    • Begonia natalensisHook.
    • Begonia partitaIrmsch.
    • Begonia parvifoliaGraham
    • Begonia richardsianaT.Moore
    • Begonia richardsonianaHoullet
    • Begonia rubicundaA.DC.
    • Begonia suffruticosaMeisn.

Begonia dregei, the maple leaf begonia, grape-leaf begonia, or bonsai begonia, [3] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Begonia native to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa. [2]

Contents

One of it's most notable features is the swollen caudex, which stores moisture. [4]

Distribution and habitat

B. dregei is a drought-tolerant perennial herb. It grows primarily in forests near the coast, [4] up to an altitude of 600m. [5] They grow in small, isolated groups in the wild and cross-hybridize easily, which has historically caused some confusion. [6]

Plant Physiology

A photo of a B. dregei plant showing the woody stem. Begonia dregei 001.JPG
A photo of a B. dregei plant showing the woody stem.

B. dregei is considered semi-tuberous, though it forms a woody caudex at its base, not a tuber. [7] The woody caudex, small leaves, and the upright, branching growth habit makes the plant look tree-like, so B. dregei is sometimes grown as an herbaceous bonsai.

Etymology

The specific epithet dregei is for Johann Franz Drège, a German horticulturist who spent lots of time is South Africa. [7]

History

B. dregei was introduced in 1800, making it one of the earliest begonias in Great Britain. It was first collected from the Cape of Good Hope. [8]

Horticulture

B. dregei is somewhat unusual in that it will hybridize with begonias of different horticultural groups. When crossed with rexes, upright plants with small leaves are usually produced. When crossed with cane begonias, the progeny are cane-like. When crossed with Begonia socotrana, cheimantha-type plants are the result. The American Begonia Society calls cheimantha-type begonias "cousins" to Rieger begonias. [7]

The engraving of B. 'Weltoniensis' in The Garden: an illustrated weekly journal of gardening in all its branches B. 'Weltoniensis'.png
The engraving of B. 'Weltoniensis' in The Garden: an illustrated weekly journal of gardening in all its branches

Some of the more distinctive hybrids are B. ‘Weltoniensis,’ B. ‘Airy Fairy,’ and B. ‘Richard Robinson.’ B. ‘Richard Robinson' is named for Alfred D. Robinson, who grew hundreds of plants from seed to prove B. dregei was a species. [7] B. ‘Weltoniensis,’ (which was originally spelled without the first 'i', "Weltonensis") was raised by Colonel Trevor Clark. [9] [10]

Plants grown from a cutting will have a much smaller caudex than plants grown from seed. In cultivation, B. dregei is prone to mealybugs and powdery mildew. [7]

Awards

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [11]

References

  1. ↑ Berliner Allg. Gartenzeitung 1857: 76 (1857)
  2. 1 2 "Begonia dregei Otto & A.Dietr". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  3. ↑ ABS (2021-07-02). "Succulent Type Begonias | American Begonia Society". www.begonias.org. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  4. 1 2 Li, Lingfei; Yang, Leilei; Ruihua, Ding, eds. (December 2023). An Illustrated Book of Begonias (1 ed.). Beijing: China Agricultural Press. p. 042-043. ISBN   978-7-109-31617-1.
  5. ↑ "Begonia dregei". PLANTS RESCUE. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  6. ↑ Karegeannes, Carrie (March 1974). "The Maple-Leaved South African Begonias" (PDF). The Begonian. 41 (3): 62–71.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Mueller, Morris. "Begonia dregei". begonias.org. American Begonia Society. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  8. ↑ Kelly, C.M. (February 1934). "BEGONIA HISTORY" (PDF). The Begonian. 1 (2): 3. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Winter-Flowering Begonias". The Garden: an illustrated weekly journal of gardening in all its branches. 69: 430–431. 9 November 1889 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  10. ↑ oliaiklod (2016-05-27). "Begonia dregei 'Weltoniensis'". Ma collection de Begonias botaniques (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  11. ↑ "Begonia dregei (T) maple leaf begonia". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2 November 2020. Synonyms … Begonia dregei var. partita; … Begonia uncinata; Begonia rudatisii; Begonia caffra; Begonia homonyma; Begonia sinuata; Begonia favargeri
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