Cultivar
B. ‘Aigrette’
Photos
2 photos
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. ‘Aigrette’
- Originator
- Legros (introduced by)
- Date of Origin
- 1898
- Publication Date
- 1899
- Place
- Vesinet
- Country
- France
- Region
- Europe
- Plant Type
- Semperflorens
- Female Parent
- B. semperflorens
- Synonyms and Comments
- Seedling from B. semperflorens
- Publication Reference
- K; WBHC-WW
- Article References
- La Semaine horticole et revue des cultures colonials, v. 3 (1899); Le Jardin, 1899 (translated via Google Translate)
Plant
- Description
- La Semaine horticole et revue des cultures colonials, v. 3 (1899) BEGONIA EVOLUTlON: The September issue of the Journal of the National Horticultural Society of France contains a small note from M. Bois, which it seems interesting to quote as a result of what we said lately abnormalities so common today among the Begonias. At the meeting of September 28th, a gardener from Vesinet, M. Legros, presented a new variety of Begonia semperflorens, found last year in a sowing of Vernon and to which he gave the name of Aigrette. This variety is fixed and perfectly constant. Mr. Bois made the following remarks on this occasion: Begonia semperflorens Aigrette is an extremely curious and interesting plant from a teratological point of view as well as from an ornamental point of view. Begonia is known to be a mono-plant, that is to say, bearing male flowers and female flowers on the same foot; It is also known that the female flowers have the inferior ovary and that they present as many styles as there are ovarian compartments, that is to say generally three, more rarely two, four or five. Now, in the new variety presented by M. Legros and acquired by MM. Cappe and son, all female flowers are normal, with infere ovary and three bifid styles; but, on the other hand, the male flowers (at least all that we have observed) do not contain any trace of etamines. These strange male flowers present the teratological alteration to which Dr. Masters gave the name of pistillody (or transformation into pistil); they present the two sepales and the two normal petals, but offer, instead of stamens, a considerable number of styles (up to a hundred and even more), surmounted by their stigmata, and constituting a hemispheric mass, of a golden yellow, sometimes attaining up to 2 centimeters in diameter. We observe, intertwined with the styles, small veritable appendages which are as many placentas (1) entirely covered with ovules, which appear naked and have the appearance of a white dust; these eggs, examined by magnifying glass, appear in the form of small crystalline bodies and are in every respect similar to those of Begonia semperflorens. From the ornamental point of view, this curious plant is called to play a certain role in gardens. The masses of pistils of a golden yellow, standing out against the red background of the floral envelopes, give it a very special decorative aspect. It will be all the more sought after if these pistilliferous masses or false gyneceses have a very long duration since, given their constitution, it can not operate there any kind of fertilization; they persist on the plant even after the fall of floral envelopes. By an interesting coincidence, the Gardeners' Chronicle "at the same time signaled a phenomenon quite similar or identical, and published the portrait of a Begonia flower thus modified which had occurred at Mme. Soane. Here, however, the pistilliferous mass is not hemispherical, but very spherical, and very voluminous. Our English colleague does not say what is his color, nor what is the species that produced this anomaly. - G. T. G.; Le Jardin, 1899 (translated via Google Translate) B. Aigrette: September 28, 1899. M. Legros, a gardener at Vesinet, presented to the National Horticultural Society of France, as a curiosity, a Begonia which was given him under the name of Begonia Aigrette. (Fig. 162). This variety, which we had noticed in a seedling of Begonia semperflorens atropurpurea (B. Vernon), is the result of a vegetation accident, an anomaly which presented itself in the monstrous conformation of the male flowers. We have grown this plant for two years in the ground and, this year, in an entire basket; all who saw her had the illusion of Calceolaria flowers coming out of the middle of a Begonias background. The flowers hold very long; their duration is greater than that of ordinary flowers and often the corolla has already disappeared that the yellow pompom of the center still holds long after; this could be a quality from the point of view of pot culture. In short, they are incomplete female flowers. Since they have no ovaries, or rather atrophied male flowers, since the stamens are replaced by very numerous pistils. All the flowers produced for two years beside the female flowers have been similar; it is therefore an anomaly well fixed and very curious to observe. From the decorative point of view, this anomaly has its interest and the success that this Begonia has obtained from all those who have seen it commits us to make it known. - Louis Cappe.
Lineage
Ancestry tree
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
- Original Botanical Description or Link to
- Le Jardin. Paris: Librairie horticole du Jardin, 1887-1921 Page 155-6, 312-13, 331. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/35959 BEGONIA AIGRETTE September 28, 1899. Mr. Legros, a gardener at the Vesinet, presented to the National Horticultural Society of France, as a curiosity, a Begonia which we had given him; has trialed, under the name of Begonia ‘Aigrette’. This variety, which we found in a seedling Begonia semperflorens atropurpurea ' Vernon ', is the result of an accident of vegetation, of an anomaly which has presented itself in the monstrous conformation of male flowers. The foliage, wearing, and dimensions are absolutely the same as in B. Vernon; the female flowers are also well compliant; it is in the male flowers, and in all regularity, that this anomaly has occurred; the stamens have in fact been replaced by a large bouquet of pistils, a brilliant yellow, forming a striking contrast on the red background of the petals and emerging even better under the dark foliage of the Begonia 'Vernon'. We have cultivated this plant for two years in the ground and this year, in full basket; all those who saw her had the illusion of flowers of Calceolaria emerging from the middle of a background of Begonias. The flowers hold for a long time; longevity is greater than that of ordinary flowers, and often the corolla has already disappeared, while the yellow pompom of the center still holds afterwards; this could be a quality from the point of view of pot culture. In short, they are incomplete female flowers. since the stamens are replaced by very numerous pistils. All the flowers produced from and near the female flowers have been similar; it is therefore an anomaly well fixed and very curious to observe. From the decorative point of view, this anomaly has its interest and the success that Begonia has obtained from all those who have seen it obliges us to make it available. LOUIS CAPPE.