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Species library › Begonia › Begonia conchifolia
Begonias Well documented

Begonia conchifolia

zip begonia

A rhizomatous begonia from the premontane forests of Costa Rica and Panama, with somewhat succulent, peltate, shell-cupped leaves, often with a red spot where the petiole joins. Most wild records sit at 700–1,500 m, so it wants warm days, mild nights, bright shade and high humidity rather than steamy lowland heat. The cultivar 'Red Ruby' is the form usually grown.

Begonia conchifolia
Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Wet premontane forest on the Pacific and Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and western Panama, on banks, forest edges, thickets and scrubby regrowth, usually in part shade. Herbarium labels include thickets and pasture margins as well as forest trails.

GBIF records with elevations run from about 200 to 1,800 m, most between 700 and 1,500 m, with a peak around 1,200 m.

Costa RicaPanamaEl Salvador

🔒 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC0 licence, unmodified.