begonia

begonia

begonia (bĭgōnˈyə), any plant of the large genus Begonia and common name for the family Begoniaceae, mostly succulent perennial herbs of the American tropics cultivated elsewhere as bedding or pot plants and easily propagated by stem and leaf cuttings as well as by seed. Some kinds are grown as house plants for their showy, variously colored leaves—rex begonias—and some for their white, pink, red, or yellow flowers, sometimes double. There are a large number of hybrids. Begonias are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Violales.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2022, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

begonia

begonia

One of the most common houseplants. There are many edible varieties, including Wax Begonia and Tuberous Begonia. Double check online to make sure which ones. People all over the world have been consuming Begonias for a long time, both flowers and leaves, raw or cooked. Flowers have a citrus, sour taste and make a beautiful garnish.. Medicinally, they have been used to help glucose levels in diabetics, and made into tea for those with colds. Shoots have been used for stomach and spleen problems. Used for anti-tumor and anticancer properties. The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw, stems eaten like rhubarb. Contain oxalic acid, so don’t eat if you have kidney stones, gout or rheumatism. Don’t go crazy, start easy.

Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Begonia

 

a genus of plants of the family Begoniaceae.

Begonias are shrubs (rarely, climbing ones) or subshrubs. They are herbs with creeping or tuberously thickened rhizomes that sometimes have tubers. The leaves are generally asymmetrical and are often beautifully colored (especially in cultivated species). The flowers are irregular and unisexual or monoecious. The leaflets of the perianth are irregular and brightly colored. The fruit of the begonia is a pod.

There are approximately 800 species of begonias in the tropics and subtropics (except Australia). Many species are grown indoors and in the ground as decorative plants. Begonias are classified as shrubs or tuberous plants (with abundant, brightly colored flowers) and leafy plants (with beautifully colored leaves). Some species of begonias have creeping forms that are used as hanging plants. Begonias reproduce by seeds, cuttings, and leaves (even parts of them) that produce shoots from the newly formed adventitious buds.

REFERENCES

Mnogoletnie tsvety otkrytogo grunta. Moscow, 1959.
Kiselev, G. E. Tsvetovodstvo, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1964.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

begonia

any plant of the genus Begonia, of warm and tropical regions, widely cultivated for their ornamental leaves and waxy flowers: family Begoniaceae

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005