Begonia cucullata

Begonia cucullata

The clubbed begonia (Begonia cucullata Willd., 1805) is a herbaceous species belonging to the Begoniaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Magnoliophyta division,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Violal Order,
Begoniaceae family,
Genus Begonia,
Species B. cucullata.
The terms are synonyms:
– Begonia cucullata var. hookeri (A.DC.) L.B.Sm. & Schub.;
– Begonia cucullifolia Hassk.;
– Begonia dispar Rchb.;
– Begonia paludicola C.DC.;
– Begonia sellovii Hook.;
– Begonia sellowi A.DC.;
– Begonia sellowii Klotzsch;
– Begonia semperflorens Hook.;
– Begonia semperflorens var. hookeri A.DC.;
– Begonia semperflorens var. sellowii (Klotzsch) C.DC.;
– Begonia setaria Hort.Angl.;
– Begonia setaria Hort.Angl. ex A.DC..
Within this species the following subspecies are recognised:
– Begonia cucullata var. arenoicola (C.DC.) L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub., 1941;
– Begonia cucullata var. arenosicola (C.DC.) L.B.Sm. & B.G.Schub.;
– Begonia cucullata var. cucullata Willd., 1805;
– Begonia cucullata var. spatulata (Lodd.) Golding.

Etymology –
The term Begonia is the name of the genus established by the French botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704) and taken up by Linnaeus, dedicated to the Governor of the French Antilles and collector of plants Michel Bégon (1638-1710). Appointed naval steward of the new arsenal port of Rochefort he contributed to the transformation of the nascent city which today has the richest collection of begonias in Europe in the botanical garden “Conservatoire du Bégonia”.
The specific cucullata epithet comes from the Latin cucúllus, hood: hooded.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Begonia cucullata is a plant native to South American countries, especially Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil (in the Cerrado and in the Atlantic Forest, distributed by Bahia, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
This plant has been introduced to other areas where, in some cases, it has also become invasive, such as in Florida, particularly from the northern and central peninsula west to the central Panhandle, and also in Georgia. In these pedoclimatic conditions, the plant can invade roadsides, deforested areas, overexploited pastures and wastelands.
Its preferential habitat is that of the tropical zones in areas of mountain plateaus.

Description –
Begonia cucullata is an erect perennial herbaceous plant that can reach a height of up to one meter, with green or reddish semi-succulent stems.
It has almost symmetrical succulent leaves, pale green to light reddish brown in colour; these are ovate, glabrous, 4-8 cm long and 6 cm broad, with edged, glossy and toothed kerning.
It produces bisexual inflorescences borne on axillary cymes with male flowers with four white, pinkish or red tepals, those of the outer pair are almost circular 8-15 mm in diameter, those of the inner pair obovate about 10 mm long and 6 mm wide .
The female flowers have 4-5 tepals of the same color as the male ones; they are elliptical or obovate, 4-14 mm long and 2-8 mm broad.
The flowers bloom in summer or all year round in warmer locations.
The fruit is a trialata capsule, 2-3 cm long, containing many small and very fine seeds.

Cultivation –
Begonia cucullata is a plant that is sometimes harvested from the wild for local medicinal use or, in newly introduced areas, as an ornamental plant.
This plant, even if it prefers a slightly shaded position, also adapts to shade and full sun, provided the substratum is kept constantly humid during the vegetative period.
In tropical or subtropical climates, where it often escapes cultivation, naturalizing and becoming a weed, it can be cultivated permanently in the open ground, elsewhere it is usually cultivated as annual, seen the ease with which it reproduces, flowering from spring to the first frosts.
In pot it is mainly cultivated for the decoration of balconies and terraces; in these cases it needs porous, draining, acidic substrata (with pH between 5.5 and 6.5) and rich in organic substance, and regular watering in summer.
If desired, it can be allowed to spend the winter indoors in a luminous position, with reduced waterings, as it is rather sensitive to water stagnations, and temperatures which should not go below the 12-14 °C.
It can also be grown as a ground cover plant.
The species has given rise to numerous varieties and hybrids with colors ranging from white, to pink, to red in various shades, with generous, almost continuous flowering and a compact habit which make it one of the most cultivated plants for gardens, for flowerbeds and borders, and for vases.
As far as propagation is concerned, this plant can be easily multiplied by stem and leaf cuttings, or by seed.
In the propagation by seed, which is to be distributed superficially, the seedbed is to be maintained at a temperature of 22-24 °C.
It should be remembered that these plants, because they are prolific producers of seeds, seeds are thought to be the primary way begonias spread when left unchecked. They can also take root very easily, but this may not play a big role under natural conditions.

Customs and Traditions –
Begonia cucullata was described by Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765–1812) and published in Species Plantarum.
This plant is known by various common names, including:
– bedding begonia, club begonia, clubed begonia, semperflorens begonia, wax begonia (English); begonia, begonietta (Italian); bégonia, bégonia annuel, bégonia des jardins, bégonia d’intérieur (French); azeda-do-brejo, begônia-do-brejo, erva-de-sapo (Portuguese); tall begonia, begonia de cera, begonia virgen, flor de nácar, semperflorens auténtica (Spanish); Begonias, Eisbegonias, Eisblume, Gottesauge, Beetbegonias (German).
This plant is known above all because, in its various varieties, it is cultivated outside its area of origin as an ornamental plant.
However, the plant finds use, above all in its natural range, as a food species, as the leaves are edible, consumable both cooked and raw.
in the medicinal field the whole plant is used as a diuretic.
Among other uses, it should be remembered that this plant can play an interesting role as ground cover, as a ground cover, considering however that it can escape cultivation and become invasive.

Method of Preparation –
Begonia cucullata is a plant known above all as an ornamental species both for pots and borders or as a ground cover.
However, especially in the countries of origin it is also known for its food properties as the leaves can be eaten both cooked and raw and as a medicinal plant used in decoctions for diuretic use.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/188033452/original.jpeg
– https://cdn.plantatlas.org/img/specimens/USF/170405.jpg

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.