Speed up rooting for Begonia cuttings in water by adding a few stems of willow. Willows naturally produce salicylic acid and Indolebutyric acid (IBA), both common rooting hormones. Even if willow stems are put in the vase upside down, they will still root.

How to separate the good seed from the bad? As with most seed, a sieve is how farmers have been separating seed and chaff for centuries. The key is getting the right size sieve, since Begonia seed is so very tiny. Many use the US standard test sieve #45 has very fine mesh that allows you to separate the good from the bad. These sieves are available online from a variety of sources. Learn more about seed here!

This is a tiny Begonia with tiny leaves, but when looking at a mature plant, it brings to mind a grove of tiny trees. Begonia minutifolia grows on the Monts de Cristal, in Gabon, on wooded slopes in dense, humid forests between 500 and 700 meters elevation.

Some Begonias are tall, such as B. giganticaulis, discovered in 2020 by Dr Daike Tian and colleagues while on expedition in Tibet, China. One measured over 11 feet tall and its largest diameter at almost five inches. It grows on slopes under forests along streams at an elevation of 450-1400 m. Due to a sparse distribution, its conservation status is endangered according to IUCN Red List criteria.