Lovely plant, but not boliviensis which has more pointed blossoms and the leaves as well are rather slender and pointed. Did they collect any seeds?

woebegonia, I can't help but wonder which characteristics of our cultivated boliviensis are the result of selective breeding. For example, one of my "boliviensis" has dark leaves ("Chocolate") but I'm pretty sure the type species doesn't have such dark leaves. I just searched flickr for boliviensis but didn't see any photos of it in its habitat.

Oh, I suppose you're right though. Here's the drawing of the type species. It really doesn't look all that different from what the nurseries have been been trademarking.

Here's a list of 18 or so tuberous Begonia species from Bolivia...Tuberous Begonia Species. No idea which one it might be though without Googling for each one.

My guess is the photographer didn't collect any seeds. I'm just basing that off the fact that they didn't even mention the Begonia in the title/description/tags of the photo.

Interesting list, I had no idea there were other forms of boliviensis. I'm growing it, my plant will bloom soon, I will try to take a good picture when it does; it is the same plant which has been sold thru the ABS Seed Fund for many years so I think this plant is more common than one might think. The form is upright.

It looks like a tuberous species in sect. Eupetalum, the group of species from which the modern xtuberhybrida group are derived. (B. boliviensis is also a member of this group, although it's classified--erroneously in my opinion--in sect. Barya.) I'm no expert on this group but my guess is that it's B. cinnabarina or a closely related species.

No, it's not B. cinnabarina which has a much larger leaf, with a different shape.

I have been thinking this plant is B. tenuicaulis; that distinctive leaf appears to match the dried specimen in the Smithsonian (8.33) and the leaf petiole described as roughly one inch, not much else helpful there though. I could only find one photo image (Intervista) and I had quite a shock as the plant pictured there doesn't match the Smithsonian information, so it either isn't tenuicaulis or the photo is wrong.

{{gwi:434395}}Note the distinctive growth, I've had to support it from the wind, but it is definitely upright growing.The blooms are red-orange, sorry I can't show them but it's been a terribly hot summer, a lot of my tuberous species will not bloom for me this year.

Sorry, I omitted the title above - this is B. boliviensis.

Hre's a small followup - there is a photo of B. boliviensis growning in the wild in the May/June issue of
The Begonian, p. 102.

Here's another Flickr NOID Begonia (larger versions of photo). This one is in Diamantina Brazil. My best guess is Begonia grisea... but it looks somewhat different. The leaves aren't as round, they are more shiny than fuzzy, and the flowers are more rosy than white. Perhaps it's a matter of different (more sheltered, wetter) conditions... and/or a different variety? It certainly appears to be a thick-stem type.