Only known from cultivation; likely endemic to Sulawesi. The specific epithet refers to the flame-colored tepals Begonia ignita has entered into cultivation and is grown by various amateur enthusiasts and Begonia collectors inside and outside of Indonesia. The origin of these cultivated plants remains obscure. Enquiries about the species’ origin with several growers indicated that most acquired the plants from material cultivated by other growers. This is also the case for the plants cultivated at Bogor Botanic Gardens on which the description is based. Some growers indicated that a market in Sulawesi was the likely original source of the plants, but they could not provide any additional information on the location of this market (province, city etc.).
Country
Indonesia
Region
Asia
Section
Petermannia
Chr 2n
Plant Type
Shrub-like
Synonyms and Comments
Etymology: a reference to the flame coloured tepals
Reference
Gard. Bull. Singapore 69 (1); 89-95: Begonia ignita (sect. Petermannia, Begoniaceae), a new species with orange flowers from Sulawesi, Indonesia
C.-W. Lin, D.C. Thomas, W.H. Ardi & C.-I Peng
Article References
Begonia ignita (sect. Petermannia, Begoniaceae), a new species with orange flowers from Sulawesi, Indonesia. C.-W. Lin, Thomas, Ardi & Peng.
