Begonia cucullata Willd., Begoniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: clubed begonia

French: bégonia, coeur de Jélsus

Spanish: flor de nácar

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial herb, caulescent, stoloniferous, glabrous, 1-10 dm high.  Leaves slightly asymmetric, broadly ovate with the base truncate and usually inrolled, obtuse, palminerved, to 8 cm long, 7 cm wide, crenate-serrate, ciliate, petioles 25 mm long, stipules persistent, oblong, obtuse, 2-3 cm long.  Cymes axillary, few-flowered, peduncle 3-5 cm long.  Bracts persistent, ovate, serrulate, 5 mm long.  Pedicels slender.  Staminate tepals 4, 8-13 mm long, the outer ones suborbicular, the inner smaller and narrowly obovate.  Stamens free, numerous, filaments short, anthers linear.  Pistillate tepals 4-5, obovate.  Styles 3, 2-parted, the stigmatic tissue linear, spiral, continuous, placentae bilamellate.  Capsule 24-30 mm long, unequally 3-winged, the largest wing triangular, subacute, seeds acute in the typical variety" (Macbride, 1941; pp. 187-188).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay (GRIN). Peru (Cuzco: Prov. Convención) (Macbride, 1941; pp. 187-188).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 475, 521, 551) "En RC, son cultivadas en varios jardies del pueblo de San Jan Bautista y algunas matas aún se encuentran en antiguos jardines abandonados". Voucher cited: Danton I(5/253)1586
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 25) Voucher cited: W.L. Wagner et al. 5941 (BISH, PTBG, US) Naturalized
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 25) Voucher cited: D. Lorence et al. 5808 (BISH, MO, PTBG, US) Naturalized

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 107) Ornamental.
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 18) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	MacDonald, I. A. W./Thebaud, C./Strahm, W. A./Strasberg, D. (1991) (pp. 51-61)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Envahissant"
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Baret, Stephane/Rouget, Mathieu/Richardson, David M./Lavergne, Christophe/Egoh, Benis/Dupont, Joel/Strasberg, Dominique (2006) (p. 758)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013) Georgia
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Begonia cucullata, please let us know.