Begonia foliosa Kunth, Begoniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

English: fern begonia, fern-leaf begonia, fuchsia begonia

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Monoecious, succulent subshrubs 3-12 dm tall, from fibrous roots; stems erect, many-branched, subglabrous.  Leaves numerous, distichous, closely spaced, blades in line with petioles, oblong-obovate to oblong-elliptic, slightly asymmetrical, 1.2-5 cm long, 0.8-1.5 (-2) cm wide, glabrous or with a few hairs along the veins, margins crenate-serrate and sparsely ciliate, petioles 0.3-0.5 (-0.8) cm long, stipules brown, oblong-lanceolate, 0.4-1 cm long, somewhat persistent.  Flowers 2-30, pendent, in cymes 5-10 cm long, these sometimes arranged in leafy panicles, pedicels 5-25 mm long, bracts similar to stipules, persistent; staminate perianth parts 4, white to red, outer ones broadly ovate, 6-16 mm long, inner ones narrowly obovate and slightly shorter, stamens numerous; pistillate perianth parts 5, white to red, subequal, elliptic, 6-13 mm long.  Capsules broadly ellipsoid, the largest wing ovate, ca. 10 mm wide" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 383).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "cultivated and apparently sparingly naturalized" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 383).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Colombia and Venezuela (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 383).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 383) Voucher cited: Rock 12996 (BISH) Sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde (2007) (p. 35) Voucher cited: S. Perlman & B. Garnett 16703 (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Comments:  Reported as possibly an invasive plant in the Hawaiian Islands per Staples et al., 2000.

Additional information:
Additional online information about Begonia foliosa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Begonia foliosa as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Begonia foliosa may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Imada, Clyde. 2007. New Hawaiian plant records for 2005-2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:34-41.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).