Begonia coccinea Hook.
Synonym: Begonia coccinea (C)
Description:
First published in 1843, this species is native to the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where it grows as an epiphyte in warm, humid conditions. Its discovery and introduction to cultivation came during the great era of South American plant exploration in the 19th century. Valued for its glossy, wing-shaped foliage and pendent clusters of scarlet-red flowers, it became an important species in begonia breeding. Wild populations are now considered threatened in parts of its native range.
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