Cultivar

B. ‘Pearlii’

Photos

5 photos

Identity

Genus: Begonia
Name: B. ‘Pearlii’
Originator: (obscure)
Date of Origin: 1949
Publication Date: 1952
Plant Type: Rhizomatous
Female Parent: B. imperialis var. imperialis
Male Parent: B. ‘rex cv.’
Synonyms and Comments: B. ‘Pearli’;
Publication Reference: K; KREMP; DV; crc-p; WBHC-WW;
Article References: The Begonian, March 1948 p. 60;
Photo References: The Begonian, Mar 1948; Exotica - Pictorial Encyclopedia of Indoor plants;

Plant

Description: B. Pearli, Hort. By Alice M. Clark, San Diego, California B. pearli, which we present this month, is one of the better begonias for window gardens, because of its lovely color and full, compact habit. Its small creeping rhizome, fine papillary surface and pointed heart-shaped leaves, class it with B. imperialis, and related types, although it has much sturdier growth. Like B. speculata, it is slightly larger than B. illustrata. They could be close relations, but its true origin is unknown. The narrow rhizome of B. pearli is so crowded with new leaves pushing out of the axils of the old ones, that the characteristic scars are hardly visible. Pale green stipules, with hairy keels, guard the fuzzy pads of baby leaves, turning to brown twists when their job is done. As the leaves grow, the raised portions. Between the veins is strongly diffused with red. Later this spreads to a flush on the back that is darker on the edges, but, strangely enough, shows on the top as a brownish-green border that gives it the appearance of a rex begonia, in its medium stage, the general color is a pewter green, overlaid with a pinkish tint. The margins are faintly ruffled and toothed, with little sprouts of hairs. The main veins are faintly raised on a hairy ridge in a smooth green channel. When mature, the leaf changes to a beautiful jade green with a pearly pink light that probably gave it its name. The largest leaf in my sketch was 6 xy 4 inches. The back is a duller and lighter color. Both surfaces are heavily tufted with soft white bristles that cause a harsh texture. The round raised nerves underneath and the 4 inch petioles are plushy with hairs that have tiny red dots at their roots. One leaf on the left is turned back at the tip to show the underside. Normally the leaves are slightly reflexed. I wish that I had caught the first inflorescence of B. pearli at its full height of 15 inches. The peduncles in my sketch are secondary lengths of 7 to 10 inches. Like the leaf stem, they are ~ inch wide at the base but narrow as they approach the flowering section. They are white-hairy, with the same minute red spots at their source. Pale green bracts around each flower dry into brown accents that cling to each fork. One of the flowering branches seems to develop faster than the other. The male blooms are only a little more than VB inch across, with two petals enclosing a full tuft of stamen. None of the little round, red-tinted buds opened before they fell. The female blossoms of B. pearli are very gay. The twin petals at the tip of the ovary are like small pink polka dots. They part freely to show a sturdy but very tiny trio of yellow stigma on a short neck. The pink capsule has a few red hairs over the seed pod on what, to borrow a Navy term, we might call "topside'. The points of the wings differ. Some are cut back into a notch or a hook with a twist to it and a few hairs on the edge. Others curve off smoothly. Light green pedicels hold the flowers almost straight out on their ¼ inch lengths, so they look like a string of bells arrested in the midst of a jangling of their enlarged clappers. My sketch was made in early February from a hanging basket at Rosecroft. There was no difference between it and another specimen in the more protected, but darker, glasshouse, so we might infer that it stands more cold than we thought. The light bright tone of B. pearli, together with its habit of flowering well above the leaves makes this a fine begonia to add to a collection of rexes or any shelf of spring bloomers.