Cultivar

B. ‘High Hopes’

Photos

1 photo

Identity

Genus: Begonia
Name: B. ‘High Hopes’
Originator: Howard Miller
Date of Origin: 1963
Place: California
Country: USA
Region: America
Plant Type: Rhizomatous
Female Parent: B. masoniana
Male Parent: B. ‘Cleopatra’
Publication Reference: BEG; WBHC-WW
Article References: The Begonian (32) Dec 1965, p 240-41.

Plant

Description: RECENT OUTSTANDING CULTIVARS by DOROTHY S. BEHRENDS In the past two or three years, too few persons on the West Coast have been hybridizing begonias. But those who have been hybridizing have produced outstanding types, recognizable anywhere. You will all want some of these cultivars. Do not go to the hybridizers for plants. Plants will be distributed in the usual way when there are enough. Two other begonias that should be mentioned at this time are cultivars by Howard Miller of Cardiff; California, a commercial' grower who raised and distributed approximately seven thousand begonias in San Diego County last year, mature plants of B. 'Bow-Nigra' and B. 'Cleopatra'. This year he is raising thousands of B. masoniana, and finding success with these plants from seed from his own pollinations. In 1963, he decided to use B. masoniana (Iron Cross) as a seed-bearing parent for crossing pollen from B. 'Bow-Nigra' and B. 'Cleopatra'. He wanted to produce the crepy leaf surface on a small leaf. From the thousands of seedlings, he raised from such crossing, he obtained only two begonias with the 'Iron Cross' leaf texture. One had B. 'Cleopatra' as the male parent; the other had B. 'Bow- Nigra' as the male parent. Their leaves are as large as the. average B. masoniana, so he is not interested in propagating them. He gave them both to me. With his permission, they are now named B. 'High Hopes' and B. Skipper'. B. 'High Hopes', with the 'Cleopatra' parentage, has a rust-colored flush on the leaves. B. 'Skipper', with the 'Bow-Nigra' parentage, has' completely green leaves. These begonias have been growing for two years side by side in Miller's greenhouses and have come up with these colorings, completely erasing the iron cross markings. Both begonias. branch well and have the same leaf texture and habit of growth as Begonia masoniana. Few. hybridizers have been able to capture this texture in their crossings but consider how many seedlings it took to get two such cultivars.