Begonia (Rex Cultorum Group) syn. Begonia rex

Leaf close-ups! For a while it produced leaves like the bottom left one, but it seems to be over it now. Bottom right is the newest leaf. They have a depth and reflective iridescence to them that doesn't come across in photos.

Super #interestingfoliage but how do you keep them looking so good in your parched corner of the world?

@emch it lives in my shower, on the windowsill. It was a tough adjustment period, but it seems to have acclimated. I keep a hygrometer in there, and the humidity is normally sub-10%, but it gets a big dose of humidity whenever anyone showers. It wasn't good enough for a fern, but the Pilea peperomioides and bromeliad are managing alongside the begonia. I deep soak it in filtered water whenever the leaves droop.

Definitely get that humidity in the shower. All it needs is indirect light and proper watering, but not too much. There leaves droop when there thirsty and too much water. It will almost tells you how to water, it’s beautiful.

Great markings!

Sigh...neither of my bathrooms has a window...

@emch it's a mixed blessing. Nice for natural daylight and, in my case, for plants, but sucks for insulation (single pane windows), and it was a total pain in the butt to install privacy film over the two 6ft tall windows so nobody could see my naked 🍑. 🤣

6ft bathroom windows! Wow!

@lesliecole49 yeah, it weirds people out. The windows in all the houses in the neighborhood start 8" off the ground, so they're super tall. I'm totally into it, but all my friends joke that every window in the house is just another doorway that hasn't found a doorknob. 😆

I love big windows too. My first house here (Tennessee) had 9ft ceilings and 6ft windows. Absolutely loved them

@lesliecole49 YESSSSS! I have vaulted ceilings, so the height varies, but I wish the windows all went all the way up! Can I just live in a glass house? Glass walls everywhere, plz! K thx. 🤪🤣

@lesliecole49 YESSSSS! I have vaulted ceilings, so the height varies, but I wish the windows all went all the way up! Can I just live in a glass house? Glass walls everywhere, plz! K thx. 🤪🤣

Looking pretty nice lately! 😍Propagated from a leaf I got in 2018 or so. It's had an unhappy life, but seems to finally have acclimated to life in my shower. I've never cared much for begonias, but this guy is changing my mind. I like them a lot more irl than in photos.

Pretty. Interesting how the stems are orange. That’s come a long way from a leaf 👍🌞

When they get bigger, they get tougher. There roots are delicate when small and watering from below in small pots seems to get them through the small time, definitely beautiful 🤩 I wasn’t a begonia guy either until 2 came home from Walmart and I started researching them. So many beautiful types pushed me over the edge

I propagated this guy from a single leaf in 2018. It lived in my windowsill greenhouse until it got too big. I repotted in mid-2020 and it's been living in my shower since then. It stressed at first, probably bc the humidity is inconsistent, and put out a few all-blue misshapen leaves. It seems to have stabilized and gotten used to the situation since then bc it's been quickly putting out normal multicolored leaves for the past few months. 😍 #propagationsuccess #rainbowweek #red

She's a beauty👍

Beautiful foliage. Love it ❤️💚

Thanks @crabby58 and @hkyfvr ! It doesn't even photograph very well. The "green" is more blue irl and has a bit of an iridescent depth to it.

Always welcome. Sometimes the colours don’t photograph well but it still looks awesome 💙💖💚

#begoniasaurusrex #interestingfoliage