FoI
Angel Wing Begonia
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Angel Wing Begonia
ntroduced Herb Photo: Gary Thingnam
Common name: Angel Wing Begonia, Scarlet begonia
Botanical name: Begonia coccinea    Family: Begoniaceae (Begonia family)

Angel-wing Begonia is a herbaceous evergreen perennial with only a few bamboo-like stems. It grows up to 3.3 feet. It is popular its striking, asymmetrical leaves that resemble the iconic shape of angel wings. These leaves are grass green, tinged at the edges with red above and dull red below. The leaves can reach up to 15 cm long. The flowers are borne zig-zag in leaf-axils, in drooping cymes with red flower-cluster-stalks. The male flowers have 2 large, pink tepals and 2 small tepals in opposite pairs at right angles to each other. There are numerous stamens with short filaments and yellow anthers. The female flowers have 5 pink tepals of unequal sizes attaches above the inferior ovary. The ovary is three-winged and dark pink with 3 styles and a golden yellow, convoluted stigma. The 1 cm wide, waxy, coral red flowers appear in large, drooping clusters on red stalks from early summer to mid-autumn. The fruit is a triangular capsule, up to 8 cm long and three winged. Angel-wing Begonia is native to Brazil, cultivated worldwide.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed in cultivation in Manipur

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