While reading up on this species, I came across this bit of information in a paper published by C.W.Lin & C.I Peng,
“Material collected on recent expeditions to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi…There are 46 currently accepted Begonia species reported from the island (see Thomas et al., 2013, continuously updated), more than half of which have been described since 2005.”
23 new species since 2005, more than one per year just from this region!
This Begonia was newly described in 2017 and has only recently been available in cultivation. It is on the smaller side, staying under 7″. So far, it has been easy to grow and does best in terrarium conditions. The leaves are mottled with pale green, and with age the green migrates to the leaf edges and creates a prominent green edging. The leaf interior darkens with age, to dark maroon, almost black. Flowers are bright orange.
And the very unusual orange flowers (male)
The female flower is pink. This particular one below has been pollinated and dropped her tepals. She is in the process of drying out and making her seed, which takes a month or two.
