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Species library › Begonia › Begonia imperialis
Begonias Partly documented

Begonia imperialis

Imperial begonia

A low rhizomatous begonia from southern Mexico and Guatemala with velvety, puckered, bronze-green leaves; it holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It grows on shaded forest slopes, often on limestone, mostly in the lowlands.

Begonia imperialis
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Mininain assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A terrestrial begonia of tall evergreen forest (selva alta perennifolia) on steep, shaded slopes and forest edges on karst limestone.

Specimens run from 10 to about 1500 m, median about 150 m (21 records).

Mexico SoutheastMexico GulfGuatemala

🔒 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 CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.