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Species library › Begonia › Begonia boliviensis
Begonias Well documented

Begonia boliviensis

A tuberous begonia from the eastern Andean slopes of Bolivia and north-west Argentina. Its arching stems, 30–45 cm long, carry pendant, narrow, bright orange-scarlet flowers. In the wild it grows in rock crevices and on slopes near streams, where competition is low, in a climate with a warm wet summer and a long, very dry winter. It was a parent of the first tuberous begonia hybrids, and at home it needs a bright growing season followed by a dry winter dormancy.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Wikipedia describes montane cloud forest on the eastern Andean slopes, with plants in rock crevices and on slopes near streams. GBIF specimen labels add Tucumano-Boliviano premontane and montane forest (with Podocarpus, Juglans, Ficus and Cedrela), forest-edge roadsides and disturbed moist subtropical forest. It favours open, rocky, often streamside spots with more light than the forest floor.

Records span 487–2,644 m, median 1,644 m (92 records). Most fall in the 1,000–2,000 m premontane and montane forest belt.

BoliviaArgentina Northwest

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.