Begonia dregei
A small, semi-tuberous begonia from the coastal forests of South Africa's Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It forms a swollen woody caudex at the base and branches upright like a miniature tree, with small maple-like leaves and white flowers. It is adapted to a summer-rainfall climate with a cool, dry winter, so it needs good light, careful watering and good airflow, because it is very prone to mealybugs and powdery mildew.
Where it grows wild
Herbarium labels place it in shaded coastal forest: along streams at the base of steep forested cliffs, in ravines and kloofs, and on steep, seasonally moist hill slopes, often over sandstone, with forest soil. Wikipedia and the American Begonia Society note that it grows in small, isolated groups that hybridise readily with each other, which has caused much naming confusion.
Mostly near sea level: the Transkei coastal records are at 1–70 m, and Wikipedia gives an upper limit of about 600 m.
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