Begonia metallica

A shrubby, hairy-leaved begonia about 1 m tall, with large, lopsided green leaves that have a metallic sheen and dark veins, and small, hairy pink flowers. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit under this name. Current checklists treat B. metallica W.G.Sm. as a synonym of B. incarnata, a Mexican species, although horticultural tradition gives it a Brazilian origin, so its wild conditions are uncertain. It is an easy, forgiving plant for bright indirect light and ordinary room humidity.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

No reliable wild habitat account was found. If it is B. incarnata, as the World Checklist treats it, it belongs to moist forest and forest edges in central and southern Mexico. Its shrubby, cane-like habit fits forest margins and clearings rather than the deep forest floor.

No elevation data are available for this name. The one GBIF record has no elevation.

Brazil (traditional horticultural origin, unconfirmed)Mexico (if treated as B. incarnata)

🔒 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.