Begoniaceae

Read about Begoniaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Begoniaceae (from the genus Begonia, named in honor of Michael Begon, a French promoter of botany). Begonia Family. Fig. 41. Herbs, rarely shrubby, hairs usually scale-like or branched: leaves alternate, usually oblique: flowers monoecious, regular, epigynous, cymose, the staminate opening first; perianth of the staminate flowers of 2 valvate sepals and 2 petals, all petaloid; perianth of the pistillate flowers of 2 to many similar petaloid parts; stamens numerous, separate or nearly so; ovary inferior, 2-3-celled. usually sharply angled and winged; ovules numerous; styles 3, more or less branched and bearing very peculiar crescent-shaped, kidney-shaped, or, more often, spiral, velvety stigmas, rarely straight: fruit a capsule, rarely a berry. The Begonia family has 4 genera and about 500 species, most of which belong to the genus Begonia. They are widely distributed throughout the tropics, but perhaps most abundant in South America along the Andes to Mexico, and in the eastern Himalayas southeastward to the Malay Peninsula. The Begoniaceae constitute a distinct group remotely related to the Cactaceae, Loasaceae, Passifloraceae and Cucurbitaceae. The family is of little economic importance except for ornamental purposes. Many species contain oxalic acid and are eaten as salad, and as a remedy for scurvy. The roots of some are astringent; others have a purgative root, used in certain tropics for syphilis and scrofula. The Begoniaceae is one of the most important ornamental families. Very many species and hybrids of Begonia are grown for greenhouse and bedding purposes, both for the flowers and the foliage. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Begoniaceae
Begonia aconitifolia
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Cucurbitales Family: Begoniaceae
Genera
Begonia Hillebrandia

Begoniaceae is a family of flowering plants with about 1400 species occurring in the subtropics and tropics of both the New World and Old World. All but one of the species are in the genus Begonia. The only other genus in the family, Hillebrandia, is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and has a single species. Phylogenetic work supports Hillebrandia as the sister taxon to the rest of the family. The genus Symbegonia has recently been reduced to a section of Begonia as recent molecular phylogenies have shown it to be derived from within that genus.

Members of the genus Begonia are well-known and popular houseplants.

External links

• Phylogenetic position and biogeography of Hillebrandia sandwicensis (Begoniaceae): a rare Hawaiian relict
• Phylogenetic Relationships of the Afro-Malagasy Members of the Large Genus Begonia Inferred from trnL Intron Sequences
• A Phylogeny of Begonia Using Nuclear Ribosomal Sequence Data and Morphological Characters
• A recircumscription of Begonia based on nuclear ribosomal sequences