Cultivar

B. ‘Tamo’

Photos

3 photos

Identity

Genus: Begonia
Name: B. ‘Tamo’
Originator: Marie Turner
Date of Origin: 1952
Place: Temple City, Ca.
Country: USA
Region: America
Plant Type: Rhizomatous
Female Parent: B. peltata var. peltata
Male Parent: B. mazae var. mazae
ABS No: 6
Publication Reference: ABS; B54 a130; B80 r192; YBG;
Article References: The Begonian June 1952 p. 120;
Photo References: JBS, Begonias :36. 1980; Murotani, Begonia in Colour :136. 1983; The Begonian, Jun 1952; Exotica - Pictorial Encyclopedia of Indoor plants; Begonias, Misono 1974: 161 (277);

Plant

Description: Begonia 'Tamo' bred to take it – by Dorothy S. Behrends Begonias which withstand drought and near freezing weather are the answer to the long and loud cry for hardy begonias, produced by Marie Turner of Temple City, the hybridist that rocked the Begonia Kingdom – with her Begonia 'Ricky Minter' in 1950. Living in an area experiencing short periods of frost of various degrees (mild to not so mild) each winter, this proposed a natural goal to Mrs. Turner-to produce begonias able to withstand conditions ranging from hot and dry to cold and wet. These are extremes NOT conducive to good begonia culture, a fact we all recognize. The results to be listed here are her accomplishments in hybridizing after several years of diligent work. Mrs. Turner prefers to use the species as parents in her work. However, some of her crosses with hybrids as parents appear to be very promising. Begonia 'Tamo' has proved to be a very good begonia, whether grown under moist or dry conditions. It is the result of B. incana x B. Mazae. The tomentose characteristic of B. incana is very pronounced, as' the petioles and entire leaf are covered with tomentum. The green-brown surface and blanket-stitched margin of B. Mazae give the leaf the beautiful exotic coloring that has been the chief delight of all hybridists. The underside is dark red. This erect-rhizomatous begonia will easily grow to two and three feet high with many shoots producing freely from the base, making it a full plant. The three-inch, oblique ovate, leaves are borne on petioles eight to ten inches long. The white flowers resemble the flowers of B. incana with the exception of the female flowers. The three-winged ovary has the tell-tale dots of B. Mazae. Marie produced another begonia in the rhizomatous class, B. 'Gypsy Marie', a heavily textured, smooth-leaved begonia that has proven to be at home in the garden as well as the glasshouse. The green-brown surfaced leaves maintain a cupped attitude, showing a deep red underside. The tiny bright rose flowers are borne in sprays well above the foliage. This hybrid is the result of crossing a begonia that is called "Florida Species" (which could be anything-but it was purchased under the name of "B. ecuadorensis") x B. Mazae. Although this begonia has had a wide distribution under the name of Begonia 'Gypsy Girl', that name has been found to be the duplicate of one for a begonia produced in 1908. To avoid any confusion that may arise from this duplication, Mrs. Turner has changed the name of her Begonia 'Gypsy Girl' to Begonia 'Gypsy Marie'. She urges those having the begonia under the first name to please make the change at once. B. 'Ripple Rosea' is a fibrous begonia that has had one name after another. It was first introduced as Begonia 'Pink Spray', but that name was previously used by Leslie Woodriff, for one of his hybrids in 1940. Several names were suggested, but we feel the present name describes this lovely begonia best. We hope this name will be accepted by all those, having received this begonia under its previous name. The parentage of this hybrid is interesting, as B. 'Superba Mentone' was crossed both with B. Roezli and B. 'Manda's Woolly Bear'. B. 'Superba Mentone' was the seed-bearing parent, yet it proved recessive and it is the one begonia of the three that did not show any characteristic in the resulting hybrids. The flowers have the vivid coloring of B. Roezli as well as the rippled margins, with even more of a ripple. Botanically impossible as it seems, the everblooming' habit of B. 'Manda's Woolly Bear' is B. 'Ripple Rosea's' finest attribute. (Perhaps this trait stems instead from a characteristic of Grandparent 'Lucerna'. recessive through 'Mentone'.) The newest introduction of Mrs. Turner's efforts toward giving us begonias that can "take it" is one that she literally dressed iii a fur coat. This is B. 'Teddy Bear' and will become very popular as stocks increase. It will be a favorite in all the hobbyist’s collections due to the ease of culture as well as its everblooming habit. Considering the parentage, it is no wonder, as it is the result of crossing B. 'Indonesia 'Woolly Bear' x B. 'Manda's Woolly Bear. The leaves have an olive-green surface and resemble B. 'Indonesia Woo II y Bear' in size, while the tomentum on the dark red underside of the leaves appears to be an accumulation of both parents. There is a very heavy coating of brown tomentum on the young leaves, becoming a little sparser as the leaves mature. The surface tomentum is very sparse. The white flowers are similar to B. 'Manda's Woolly Bear', with the ever-blooming habit. Begonia 'Teddy Bear' may be recommended for border plantings and pot specimens. The urgency of early registration of all begonias, whether introductions or hybrids, cannot be over-stressed as far as Marie Turn is concerned. She has experienced two disappointments in names because she did not register the begonias before offering them to the public. This is a lesson well learned and Marie is going to register them from now on-EARLY. Mrs. Turner is to be commended for specializing in producing the more rugged begonias for us. The difficult, hard to raise. begonias are 'admittedly a challenge, but life is so full of challenges that it is with pride we introduce these begonias to you.