Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Begonia "Bonfire", 1 by begoniaboy

begoniaboy wrote:
I have crossed this boliviensis hybrid B. 'Mission Bells' with my B. 'Rudy Tuttie' and I now have a PINK boliviensis looking plant.
B. 'Bonfire is a selected species from Argentina. The plant is a species BUT it is patented by Richard James Cross(Christchurch, NZ). Begonia boliviensis seeds were obtained in 1990 from selected plants in Northern Argentina. The area where the seeds were collected had many of these plants, however, selection of seeds came from plants judged to be of value as an ornamental crop. The seeds were germinated in New Zealand In 1997/8, three distinct forms were identified of which Begonia ‘Bonfire’ was considered the best. This selection has been maintained and has remained stable through several generations of plants produced by vegetative cuttings. Selection criteria: short bushy growth, bright red/orange flowers, narrow leaves, suitability as a ornamental container plant. Distributed in USA byTesselaar.