Yet another contest. I’m getting a bit antsy because I was hoping to have this plant a while ago, and already to have begun propagating it. Instead, I’ve had a mix of bad and good luck.
The good luck: I was lucky to find the plant in the first place. It was only officially described in 2017, as a close relative of Begonia bogneri, which I have a lot of experience growing and propagating (i.e. hundreds of plants). It’s almost identical to B. bogneri, and like it, is a small terrarium Begonia. The main difference is that unlike the grasslike leaves of B. bogneri, those of B. pteridoides are highly branched. It’s amazingly cool.
There are photos in the link:
novataxa.blogspot.com
Like B. bogneri, B. pteridoides is restricted to a small region of Madagascar, in this case a tiny island, Nosy Mangabe. The climate is moist and tropical.
To quote Weatherspark, for the city just 2 km away: “In Maroantsetra, the summers are long, hot, oppressive, and overcast; the winters are comfortable and mostly clear; and it is wet year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 63°F to 88°F and is rarely below 61°F or above 91°F.”
Begonia bogneri is found only about 50 km (30 miles away). These are very similar plants, from nearby locations, and I assume, almost identical climates.
Begonia bogneri grows well at constant room temperature, and again, terrarium conditions.
As I say, I was lucky to find B. pteridoides from a nursery that imports it from Canada, then distributes it in the U.S. I ordered it for their end of March distribution. It arrived March 25th. Unfortunately, it appeared to have been frozen, even though flown from Atlanta on a warm day, and packed in a styrofoam box with a heat pack.
I was in shock, as I had wanted to grow it for several years. It was also far more than I had ever paid for a plant. I’m sure some can relate.
I contacted the nursery owner, and he assured me he would send a replacement plant in the late April shipment. April passed with no plant. The updated arrival date is mid May. I’m likely going to aggressively propagate it when I receive the replacement plant. I expect like B. bogneri, each 4 linear inches of leaf cuttings give ten 1cm cuttings, except in this case the branched bits can also be chopped up as cuttings. If it propagates the same as B. bogneri, I should soon have tons of plants.
Both of these species have small tubers, I assume to recover from drought. Note that these plants never come close to experiencing frost. So it’s not an adaptation to cold. I saved the tuber from the frozen B. pteridoides, but had serious doubts it would come back. I assumed the tuber was damaged (killed) as well.
I was wrong. More good luck, just 1 week ago:
Potted in soil, and given better light, it's starting to grow nicely over the last 6 days:
So right now I’m waiting for this tuber to grow enough so I can start propagating, and for my replacement plant to arrive. I assume my first cuttings for propagation will come from the new plant.
Regardless, I thought it would be fun to start a contest and giveaway. Here’s the deal. When B. bogneri and B. pteridoides grow, they start with stubby juvenile leaves, then suddenly shift to elongated mature leaves.
This illustrates it for B. bogneri: young plantlets starting to put out mature, longer leaves.
And for B. pteridoides: among the frozen mostly adult leaves, there is a large juvenile one.
The Contest (finally):
At what number of leaf will the first growth put out a mature leaf? Right now, all 3 growths are at leaf #1. If the next leaf is mature at one (or more) of the growths, that would be an answer of number 2, and so on, 3, 4, 5, etc… Note: that number could be 1, if a mature leaf suddenly emerges from a new position, elsewhere on the tuber.
So the possibilities as to where the first mature emerges are 1, 2, 3, 4…etc. And again, this could happen at any one of the (currently) 3 growth points, or potentially at a new one.
I don’t know if that’s clear. If all three growing points produce one additional juvenile leaf, then one or more of the three next produces a mature leaf, the answer is 3.
So vote for what position (on any growth) you think the first mature leaf will appear. Ties will be broken by the person who correctly predicts the date I receive the replacement plant.
So give a number, 1 or above, and a date.
My guess doesn’t count, of course, but as an example I’ll guess:
2, May 13
The winner gets a propagated Begonia pteridoides plant, after I’m satisfied I have 5 that will make it. This will likely be in 4.5+ months. Winner pays postage.
The winner should probably get something additional, just for figuring this post out…I’ll see what I can do.
The good luck: I was lucky to find the plant in the first place. It was only officially described in 2017, as a close relative of Begonia bogneri, which I have a lot of experience growing and propagating (i.e. hundreds of plants). It’s almost identical to B. bogneri, and like it, is a small terrarium Begonia. The main difference is that unlike the grasslike leaves of B. bogneri, those of B. pteridoides are highly branched. It’s amazingly cool.
There are photos in the link:
[Botany • 2017] <i>Begonia nosymangabensis </i>&<i> B. pteridoides</i> • Two New Species of <i>Begonia<small></i> sect. <i>Erminea</i> (Begoniaceae) </small>from Nosy Mangabe in Madagascar
Begonia pteridoides & Begonia nosymangabensis DOI: 10.15553/c2017v722a3 Abstract Begonia nosymangabensis Scher...
novataxa.blogspot.com
Like B. bogneri, B. pteridoides is restricted to a small region of Madagascar, in this case a tiny island, Nosy Mangabe. The climate is moist and tropical.
To quote Weatherspark, for the city just 2 km away: “In Maroantsetra, the summers are long, hot, oppressive, and overcast; the winters are comfortable and mostly clear; and it is wet year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 63°F to 88°F and is rarely below 61°F or above 91°F.”
Begonia bogneri is found only about 50 km (30 miles away). These are very similar plants, from nearby locations, and I assume, almost identical climates.
Begonia bogneri grows well at constant room temperature, and again, terrarium conditions.
As I say, I was lucky to find B. pteridoides from a nursery that imports it from Canada, then distributes it in the U.S. I ordered it for their end of March distribution. It arrived March 25th. Unfortunately, it appeared to have been frozen, even though flown from Atlanta on a warm day, and packed in a styrofoam box with a heat pack.
I was in shock, as I had wanted to grow it for several years. It was also far more than I had ever paid for a plant. I’m sure some can relate.
I contacted the nursery owner, and he assured me he would send a replacement plant in the late April shipment. April passed with no plant. The updated arrival date is mid May. I’m likely going to aggressively propagate it when I receive the replacement plant. I expect like B. bogneri, each 4 linear inches of leaf cuttings give ten 1cm cuttings, except in this case the branched bits can also be chopped up as cuttings. If it propagates the same as B. bogneri, I should soon have tons of plants.
Both of these species have small tubers, I assume to recover from drought. Note that these plants never come close to experiencing frost. So it’s not an adaptation to cold. I saved the tuber from the frozen B. pteridoides, but had serious doubts it would come back. I assumed the tuber was damaged (killed) as well.
I was wrong. More good luck, just 1 week ago:
Potted in soil, and given better light, it's starting to grow nicely over the last 6 days:
So right now I’m waiting for this tuber to grow enough so I can start propagating, and for my replacement plant to arrive. I assume my first cuttings for propagation will come from the new plant.
Regardless, I thought it would be fun to start a contest and giveaway. Here’s the deal. When B. bogneri and B. pteridoides grow, they start with stubby juvenile leaves, then suddenly shift to elongated mature leaves.
This illustrates it for B. bogneri: young plantlets starting to put out mature, longer leaves.
And for B. pteridoides: among the frozen mostly adult leaves, there is a large juvenile one.
The Contest (finally):
At what number of leaf will the first growth put out a mature leaf? Right now, all 3 growths are at leaf #1. If the next leaf is mature at one (or more) of the growths, that would be an answer of number 2, and so on, 3, 4, 5, etc… Note: that number could be 1, if a mature leaf suddenly emerges from a new position, elsewhere on the tuber.
So the possibilities as to where the first mature emerges are 1, 2, 3, 4…etc. And again, this could happen at any one of the (currently) 3 growth points, or potentially at a new one.
I don’t know if that’s clear. If all three growing points produce one additional juvenile leaf, then one or more of the three next produces a mature leaf, the answer is 3.
So vote for what position (on any growth) you think the first mature leaf will appear. Ties will be broken by the person who correctly predicts the date I receive the replacement plant.
So give a number, 1 or above, and a date.
My guess doesn’t count, of course, but as an example I’ll guess:
2, May 13
The winner gets a propagated Begonia pteridoides plant, after I’m satisfied I have 5 that will make it. This will likely be in 4.5+ months. Winner pays postage.
The winner should probably get something additional, just for figuring this post out…I’ll see what I can do.
