Begonia

Overview

Begonias are indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions. They occur primarily in Central and South America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The natural habitat of many begonias are moist, cool forests and tropical rainforests, but some begonias are adapted to dryer climates. Begonias will invade disturbed areas such as roadsides, harvested forests, old fields, overgrazed pastures, and waste places.

Vernacular Names

Berki, Motiyen (India), Begonia (Tagalog), Angel wing begonia (English).

Agroecology

An epiphytic species in forests, growing near the ground on decaying trunks, in the lower part of the bole on forest trees, sometimes up to 25 m high on the bole; growing at elevations up to 950 m.

Morphology

• Roots - begonia classify into three categories based on rootstock: tuberous, fibrous, and rhizomatous. Unlike the tuberous and fibrous rooted begonias, which are cultivated for their flowers.
• Leaves - can be hairy, fuzzy, or smooth, and are flecked with colorful patterns. Begonia cucullata creating a mound of glossy, succulent green leaves. The leaves have scalloped edges and are cordate in shape. Stomata is only in abaxial. Trichome glandular spreads infrequently in adaxial and abaxial; non-glandular is absent
• Flowers - monoecious. Wild type flowers have four or five sepals, no petals, numerous stamens in males and an inferior ovary with three fused carpels in females. The colorful begonia sepals resemble petals showy flower varieties. Flowers are white to pink and produced all summer.
• Fruits - a dry, winged capsule that splits lengthwise to release the seeds.
• Seeds - Very tiny, fine seeds are produced in great quantities. There are three seed types were encountered: (1) narrowly ellipsoid seeds having an obtuse micropylar end with sunken hilum and an extended chalazal end (often J-shaped), a mean size of 670 pm x 185 pm, and a 1ength:width ratio of 3.6; (2) obovate to narrowly obovate seeds having an obtuse operculum with sunken hilum, a somewhat extended chalazal end, a mean size of 550 pm x 220 pm, and a length: width ratio of 2.5; and (3) elliptic seeds resembling the ordinary begonia seed type, having a nipple-shaped operculum, a mean size of 3 15 x 200 pm, and a 1ength:width ratio of 1.6. Testa cells adjacent to the collar are elongated in the first two seed types and are more polygonal in the third type.
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Cultivation

• Generative propagation is by seeds.
• Vegetative propagation is by stem and leaf cuttings.

Chemical Constituents

Saponin, tanin. flavonoid, polifenol, friedelin, epi-friedelinol, β-sitosterol, luteolin, quercetin, β-sitosterol–3-β-d-glucopyranoside, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, 3-O-glucosylrutinoside, 3-O-xylosylrutinoside.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

Medicinal Uses

• Roots and tubers of Begonia species have been used as emetics and purgatives.
• The tuberous roots and fruits are anodyne, antiphlogistic and antispasmodic.
• The acid-based sap has been used to treat toothaches and gum aliments as it is considered anti-bacterial.

Traditional Uses

• In Paraguay, the leaves of the B. cucullata are eaten fried or in soup or salads while the sap is used to treat sore throats.
• The sap has been put on wounds, decoction used for cough, consumption, and fever. Shoots have been used to treat upset stomachs and enlarged spleens. It is also proven to have anti-tumor activity and commonly used in the West Indies by herbalists to treat cancer.
• Juice of the plants is drunk to use relieve headaches. Poultice of crushed leaves for sore and irritated nipples. Roots of the juice used for conjunctivitis. Also used for peptic ulcer.
• Decoction of whole plant is used in the treatment of traumatic pain, haematemesis, gonorrhoea, postpartum vaginal discharge, amenorrhoea and snakebites.
• Flower infusions are used to promote blood circulation and elimination of toxins from the body. Poultice of flowers is used for burns and toxic sores.