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Species library › Begonia › Begonia ricinifolia
Begonias Well documented

Begonia ricinifolia

The castor-bean-leaf begonia, a large rhizomatous hybrid published by A. Dietrich in 1847. It is usually given as B. heracleifolia × B. peponifolia, both from Mexico and Central America. It is a tough, old-fashioned houseplant with big, palmately lobed leaves and tall sprays of pink flowers. It is widely grown in the tropics and has escaped locally.

Begonia ricinifolia
Photo: scott.zona from Miami, Florida, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A garden hybrid with no natural habitat. GBIF records are almost all cultivated: gardens, yards and botanic gardens in Brazil, Rwanda, the DR Congo, Florida and Dominica. Its parents grow in shaded, humid forest in Mexico and Central America.

Not applicable. Cultivated from sea level to about 1,800 m (Lwiro, Kivu).

United States of AmericaDominicaCongo, Democratic Republic of the

🔒 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 2.0 licence, unmodified.