Introduction to Rare Plants Category - Cane Begonia Maculata Albopicta (Updated Nov 2022)

INTRODUCTION:

I must say that this particular plant have a long history of evolving in time where introduction is concerned, especially when it comes to ID - it is quite elusive as to say the original names are now constantly changing and I'm surprised to find that they are now sound familiar though there are few different types that have a total character appearance.

I shall start with their plant Identity - The Name.

There are many that sounds misleading where appearance is concerned - often you will distinct difference in the coloration of the inflorescence - some white, some off-white, and the accurate ones are the ones that appears to be in pink which is mis-labelled as 'Tamaya' and the confusion adds on when it comes to different vendors - depending on what they fancy placing whatever names that concerns them.

That is indeed a sad thing - as to note, that when even comes to seed propagation the hybrids are extremely unique on which you can actually view the difference in their plant features - namely:

- The 'dot' structure on the foliage - Size and Placement

- The shape of the Leaf - whether oblong, rounded or with frills

- The underside coloration of the Leaf - whether if their veins are visible in red, fully green or burgundy

- The coloration of the inflorescence based on the dominance of the parentage - white or pink shades.

And these also can change when the plant matures as the appearance of the 'dots' may varies based on the plant size and it's age. Also do take note that the coloration on the foliage changes too depending on the amount of  light it receives - too much exposure and even the 'dots' may disappear.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Cane Begonia Maculata 'Albopicta' has a symmetrical leaf pair formed on the stem very much creating the 'wings' formation on the bamboo like stem. The foliage however has strong speckles like white dots on its surface and may fade if receive too much light - however with that condition - chances of this particular begonia have high chance to bloom. Flowers are usually in pendulus with pink heart shaped buds - sometimes can turn to stronger red tones depending on the light received.

The similarities are extremely close with many varieties especially with the polka dot begonia types - this one falls into the Maculata types. Currently it is identified as a Begonia coccinea in the plant market.

This particular Cane Begonia is often behaves like Bamboo like Canes and often mis-identified as a Begonia 'Tamaya'. Commonly known as Angel Wing Begonia. It's actually not a true name as 'Tamaya' is actually referred as a style where the bamboo like cane begonia been groomed as such like an umbrella feather where the plant is just a cane and rising up forming many shoots coming forth from top crown - like a topiary style.

This growing condition style is called "Standard Form" as such identified as 'Tamaya'.
And such - You can actually groom the 'Tamaya' style to any Cane Begonias that have that bamboo like features - especially the Albo picta species, Lucerna species and the ones that appears to be hardy.

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS : HARDY FACTOR

I must say in comparison to so many Maculata species like Begonia maculata wightii,  Albopicta seemed to be the best hardiest plant to grow - it does so well in so many garden conditions. I can say that this one is much easier to cultivate as it less like to face stem rot or leaf burns in comparison to other sensitive types. 

In a way, Maculata Albopicta somehow was build to face the hardy factor of  lowland wet and dry climate conditions in the tropical regions where it is unpredictable concerning rainy days of wet and high humidity in concerned and followed by the hot and dry days - in this array of difference - most gardeners fear this flux of changes as plants do get stressed and may succumb to rot when they are placed in partial shaded area in their garden.

To say, based on my personal experience - this one, Maculata Albopicta had weathered the storm and I would considered this a winner. This one does so well in well shaded areas or semi-shaded areas where it can do well when receiving open sun and rain (well partially)

On another factor of maturity

I find this one last longer than other Cane Begonias - I often noticed that when the Canes over-matures they tend to sort of start to rot from the bottom and turn deciduous - sort of the cane dies off at bottom and some parts stay green and create an appearance like a succulent plant - they start to drop off their leaves and become barren cane like plant. I can say by then, if you start to pay attention to it in that condition - it is actually too late to safe the plant as it is slowly withering away - I for one, was never successful in reviving the plant in propagation it that condition - the Cane do stay green for awhile but slowly rots away regardless propagation done using in water or in soil medium.

Hence - I always propagate them when they are appearing healthy and robust.

PROPAGATION FACTOR - USING WATER PROPAGATION

Just like most Cane Begonias where they do very well in water for propagation - you will notice beautiful strands of roots appearing in water after 1-2 weeks time. However please do take caution not to continue to keep the plant in water for too long (3 weeks) as once the roots had fully formed - it may be too late for it to be propagated using other stronger medium (soil medium) as their roots may not able to handle the transfer/changes of the new medium. The roots will rot and eventually the stem will suffocate and eventually the plant rots and wither away.

So it is always best to immediately plant the cuttings when the roots are in early stages on sprouts as the roots will slowly acclimatize to the new soil medium.

The Plant may last for few months in water propagation and may develop water roots but it is not build to grow long term in water and may slowly turn yellow and rot away - you can keep it longer using hydroponic fertilizer for it sustain longer however - it is too much work and effort to do so - rather, I would just plant it in soil and see the plant just thrive without much care or worry.

This just doesn't apply for this particular Cane Begonia but for all Cane Begonias in general. Do not let the water roots grows into the secondary stage or it is too late for it to stabilize in the soil medium conditions.

SOIL / GROWING MEDIUM:

There are so many different types that works - choose one that works best in your garden condition.

My Garden Condition appears to be where these plants are open to partial Sun and Rain - this helps the begonias to have the hardy factor where it doesn't succumb to rot easily and I really don't have to worry about watering daily on rainy days.

Also I don't have to worry about root or stem rot when they are exposed to long rainy days in the garden. Hence this Medium works best in my garden conditions:

- 30% coconut husk chips - aids stronger root growth

- 30% river sand - fast draining medium (regulates the watering)

- 30% compost (placed at the bottom of the pot)

So far, I find that these Cane Begonias can last at least for a year without worry and I can propagate when they grow taller as they grow out of balance. I often keep some spares just in case that particular "mother plant" decides to go dormant before it is too late to propagate it.

Somehow - I find that keeping the Cane Begonias short and small seems to make the plant last longer than when it grows too tall as it matures and withers away at the bottom.

FERTILIZER / FEEDING

This have been the most controversial and still appear to be a grand mystery to me.

The success stories of what other gardeners say that this particular fertilizer works in their garden somehow appears to kill all my begonia collection.

To my horror, one by one - all my begonias started dying and dead. I was not able to really figure out exactly what went wrong. I can't really put my finger and really find the true cause of these begonias withering and dying away. The problem is they don't die immediately - it happens slowly like a single leaf a week and before you know it - they are all gone.

So based on my experience  - this is what I can share with you:

1) OSMOCOTE  - Slow release Fertilizer

This particular one is of the Love & Hate relationship type.

Let me explain - Osmocote are considered slow release fertilizer -  in means to say, these release a small amount of fertilizer every time you water your plant. So, ideally it works best in indoor setting when you control the watering - say once a week or twice a week. It does not do well when the medium is constantly wet on daily basis or receiving rain water on them daily.

Also the amount of osmocote makes a difference - often they are over-fertilized causing burns on the leaves, especially one teaspoon may contain about 10-15 balls which may be too many for a small potted plant.

Also if you are not careful, unsure of the next application and if you put in the next dosage too early the plant is in danger of over-fertilize.

- So, do your research properly - if you are caution and would like to try anyway, perhaps try will half strength and see how the plant is adjusting.

Again, based on my experience, I had lost too many plants using this type of fertilizer and had decided that this one cause more harm than good in my garden condition.

2) WOOD VINEGAR 

This is my nemesis, I would say a lot of talk been mentioned when it is applied for orchids and few other sensitive plants - truly a vinegar, it does have a burned BBQ kind of fragrance when applied in the garden and the horror to note that the leaves suddenly appear to have patches of burns or drops off by the petiole when it is still green.

I really not sure of the science of why this had taken place - either it is too acidic or just create a chemical disaster that everything dies whether on light dilution or according to label.

Again, my fault would had been too many application of fertilizer in rotation, meaning a week of foliar fertilizer of NPK solution followed by this Wood Vinegar in the next and so forth may had caused heavy stress on them.

Thus I had totally stopped everything in few months time and just focused on only using foliar fertilizer NPK which seemed to do just fine for the weekly application without any burns or stress for many months now.

3) TOO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES IN WEEKLY APPLICATION - FERTILIZER

I had this horrible idea that if I applied something weekly - the plant will be super healthy and would had grown in super size.

In the alternative weeks I have been experimenting with:

- NPK foliar fertilizer with 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt in a week, 

- Wood vinegar mix with Organic molasses

- Plant Booster - in Brown Liquid appearance.

I realized that somehow I really gone mad - just in the thought of over-whelming too much fertilizers in my garden plants, not everything died or thrived but somehow the sensitive ones like huperzias, rhizome begonias, episcias and ferns paid a heavy price for my mistake.

Now I have learned my lesson - stick to one fertilizer that works and ditch the rest, no matter what others may promise the star and the moon - if the plant dies - it is just going to be my fault and I have to bear with the dire mistake on my own.

4) ORGANIC FERTILIZER - CHICKEN / GOAT MANURE

Somehow I love organic fertilizer as they are natural and good when it comes to edibles but the big picture is that good quality manure are very expensive when they are well processed especially they are free from pest and weeds - when they are not processed properly - they contained pest eggs especially spider-mites and grass seeds which may take many years to eradicate in a control garden space.

So do check carefully the source and their quality as they can cause more harm than good.

5) COFFEE BASED FERTILISER

These appears like black granules types - basically these are plant based fertilizer where it has coffee fragrance on them. Depending on brand and type - normally these are acidic types where coffee ground are used as base for this type of fertilizer.

In a way, I find that some gardeners find that this type works like a miracle - I for one prefer foliar fertilizer where I can just water spray my whole garden without worrying about missing out a plant.

Personally I had found that this one had telltale signs of burns on leaves when over application taken place as these do not do well with combination with other fertilizer applications together even between 2 weeks apart.

6) RICE WASHED WATER

I do on weekly basis where I apply rice washed water on my begonias where I find that these contains micro bacterial elements where it aids and helps the plant to absorb NPK into their plant system. Also I find that too much of anything can cause havoc, burns or rot. 

In a way, everything need to be in proper balance to ensure the plant health in the long run.

 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANE BEGONIAS

Other matters are very much similar with the general information about Cane Begonias.
Do click below for more information on Cane Begonias.
Cane Begonia Care & Cultivation information.