Begonia - U514

PERSONAL THOUGHTS & REVIEW:

You know that when you start collecting Begonias, you find that green begonias are not so attractive compared to the coloured Rex types. But then, what is it going to hurt by adding some green begonias in the collection.This one, glossy with copper stripes.

Mysterious with its name - U514 does indeed makes herself exclusive. She is quite sensitive compared to the rest of the other encounters. I almost lost the first one and used the fallen leaves to propagate here and there. U514 is difficult, it requires less water compared to rest - too much water tend to cause this to leaf drop.  Too much water can cause the leaves to fall out and the rhizome succumb to rot. Do keep this on the drier side if you are using a soil medium.

CHARACTERISTICS:

This rhizome Begonia U514 was brought from Thailand by Bruce Pearson of Tropical World. The foliage appears to have a dark bronze-green coloration but changes color based on how much light it receives - more greener in shade, more bronze when exposed to very bright light.

The foliage coloration and veins changes due to different light areas.

They can be more greener in shade and more vibrantly red when in sun.

The leaves are fragile and can easily snap if brushed accidentally as they are not flexible.

It's best to keep them in a less movement space in the garden.

All my existing Begonia U514 had died - a friend had recently passed me this plant  (Feb 2020) and have been cultivating this ever since and it's slowly growing. I also had planted this in a mop wick and new shoots had appeared with several new leaves.

Update Dec 2020

I must say that this one is challenging and can die easily if proper care is not given, I also noticed that it needs special treatment as such as a good root hormone application with some good foliar fertilizer - a wrong one can actually kill it. I'm still figuring this out.

I had manage to get a plant from a friend and also manage to propagate it in a mop wick where it is stable now, also its growing on a pot - of which I find that it grows well as rhizome plant where it grows laterally trailing on the pot surface.

Begonia Common Names and Images

Do click on the Link Above ☝

Here is the link where I had put together a list of all the begonias that I had come across. A database of all the different types & their characteristics. Please click on the link on the title above for the post.