Begonia rex Putzeys, Begoniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: king begonia, painted-leaf begonia, rex begonia

French: bégonia

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Rhizomatous perennial; rhizome horizontal, fleshy.  Leaf petioles to 4 inches long, red, hairy; blades obliquely ovate, 8-12 inches x 6-8 inches, surface wrinkled, upper side rich metallic green with bread silver-white zone, sparsely hairy, underside dull red, hairy along veins, base cordate, margins wavy, ciliate-toothed.  Inflorescence erect, few-flowered, taller than leaves, stalk glabrous or nearly so.  Flowers pale rose pink, to 2 inches in diameter; staminate flower tepals 4, unequal; pistillate flower tepals 5, equal, ovary 3-angled, wings 1 long and 2 short"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 177).

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

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Native to Assam in northeastern India" (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 177).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (pp. 691-692) Vouchers cited: DA 16761, DA 16762, DA 16763
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 21) Begonia x rex-cultorum L. H. Bailey; voucher cited: MacKee 41052

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

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 cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/très envahissant"

Comments:  Invasive in La Réunion per Christophe Lavergne, pers. com. Most plants grown under this name are Begonia rex-cultorum hybrids (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 177).

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

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

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

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

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.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.