Begonia sutherlandii

Begonia sutherlandii, known as the Sutherland begonia and as iwozya in Kimalila, Tanzania, is a tuberous flowering perennial plant in the family Begoniaceae, growing to 0.5 metres (20 in) with fleshy pink stems from 10 to 80 centimetres (4 to 31 in) long. Leaves are commonly dark green and veined with red and covered with short hairs on the underside. They are asymmetrical in shape and the margin is toothed. Flowers, produced in pendent panicles throughout summer,[1] are 20–26 millimetres (0.8–1.0 in) in diameter, and are usually orange or orange–red with yellow anthers.

Begonia sutherlandii
In cultivation
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Begoniaceae
Genus: Begonia
Species:
B. sutherlandii
Binomial name
Begonia sutherlandii

The plant is native to the southern highlands of Tanzania and is often found hanging over rocks in damp shady situations or on trees. It is also present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in South Africa.

Begonia sutherlandii can be cultivated outdoors in frost-free areas. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2]

Illustration from Curtis's Botanical Magazine (1868)
Flowers

References
  1. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  2. "RHS Plant Selector - Begonia sutherlandii". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  • Jex-Blake, A. J. (1957) Gardening in East Africa. Longmans
  • Watt, J. M. & Breyer - Brandwijk, M. G. (1962) The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa. Livingstone
  • Cribb, P. J. & Leedal, G. P. (1982) The Mountain Flowers of Southern Tanzania. A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam
  • Neuwinger H. D. (2000) African Traditional Medicine. Medpharm GmBH Scientific Publishers, Stuttgart, Germany
  • Lemmens, R. H. M. J. (2004) Begonia macrocarpa Warb. In Grubben, G. J. H. & Denton, O. A. (Editors). Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen, Netherlands/Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands / CTA. p. 106
  • Burrows, J & Willis, C. (2005) Plants of the Nyika plateau. Sabonet report no. 31
  • Latham, P. (2008) Plants visited by bees and other useful plants of Umalila, Southern Tanzania
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