Botanical name: Begonia malabarica    Family: Begoniaceae (Begonia family)
Synonyms: Begonia hydrophila, Begonia fallax, Begonia rubrosetulosa

Malabar Begonia is a herb with stem often 2 ft long, repeatedly dividing, with many leaves. Flowers arise in leaf axils, with flower-cluster-stalks rarely exceeding 2-3 inches. Flowers are rose colored, not very many on a peduncle. Males flowers have 4 tepals, and female flowers have 3 tepals. This features clearly distinguishes it from Two-Petal Begonia. Leaves are 2-4 inches, heart-shaped, pointed, very unequal at the base, with toothed margin. Leaf-stalks are 1-5 inches long. Stipules are 5 mm, persistent, ovate pointed, hairless. Capsules are 1.8 x 1.8 cm, including the wings.

Medicinal uses: Malabar Begonia is an important medicinal plant whose main secondary metabolites are luteolin, quercetin and β-sitosterol. The leaves are used for the treatment of respiratory infections, diarrhoea, blood cancer and skin diseases. Very few reports on cultivation, breeding and improvement programmes and in vitro studies of B. malabarica are available despite its commercial importance.

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The flower labeled Malabar Begonia is ...