Species library › Begonia › Begonia melanobullata
Begonias Well documented

Begonia melanobullata

A limestone-karst begonia from Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, described in 2015 and named for the dark maroon, cone-shaped bumps topped with long hairs that cover its emerald leaves. It grows on semi-shaded wet cliffs and steep limestone slopes in evergreen forest at 300–400 m, where summers are hot and wet and winters are cool and dry. Grow it warm and humid in summer, a little cooler and drier in winter, in a free-draining mineral mix.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Lithophytic or rooted in pockets of soil on semi-shaded, wet limestone cliffs and steep limestone slopes in evergreen broad-leaved forest. It is a rhizomatous member of section Coelocentrum, the group of begonias that lives in the Sino-Vietnamese limestone karst.

Known from 300–400 m at the type locality in Thach An District. The single measured wild site sits in the same area, so the grid climate is a reasonable match for elevation.

Vietnam: Cao Bang

🔒 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

Grow Begonia melanobullata? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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