Begonia masoniana
The iron cross begonia is a rhizomatous species from the limestone karst of southwestern Guangxi, China, and neighbouring northern Vietnam. Each hairy, puckered leaf has a dark cross-shaped mark. In the wild it grows on rocks in shaded forest, around cave-like hollows at low elevations (about 100–350 m), in a monsoon climate with a cool, dry winter. It is easy to grow indoors if it gets steady warmth, moderate to high humidity and a free-draining mix that is never waterlogged.
Where it grows wild
Grows on rocks and in thin soil under forest on limestone hills, in moist, shaded spots such as karst walls, cave entrances and hollows. The populations are small and isolated, confined to cave-like microhabitats in the karst.
The Flora of Guangxi gives 100–350 m. The 12 wild records with elevations fall at 222–340 m, median 290 m, which agrees.
🔒 Growing it like that
The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:
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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.