Begonia BONFIRE™

Background

Begonia BONFIRE arose from selection of an outstanding genotype from a population of Begonia boliviensis. The original seed was collected on a germplasm collecting expedition organized by the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1990 - the aim being to obtain new types of plants for New Zealand to diversify its productive agricultural activities. A list had been prepared prior to the trip and Begonia boliviensis, known for its abundant pendulous bright orange flowers, was one of the species being sought.

Begonia boliviensis grows in the montane forests of northern Argentina and Bolivia from around 1200m to 2000m - a habitat of seasonal cloud forest with many similarities to Gondwana forests in southern South America as well as in New Zealand and Africa. The dense forest canopy is often shrouded in mist and the branches hang heavy with dripping mosses, lichens, orchids, bromeliads and other epiphytes. The species is restricted to certain micro-habitats - shady ravines, south facing bluffs - and so is not always easy to find.

Once at the possible localities, the plant was sought in the appropriate habitats and many areas were explored before finding the right plant. Having found several populations, the best looking plants were selected - in this case plants with more abundant flowering, dense, vigorous and healthy stems, good flower size, shape and colour. The seeds of these plants were collected and sown in New Zealand: thousands of plants emerged and were selected again to obtain the most outstanding genotype. This latter phase included trialling for tolerance to a variety of outdoor and pot-grown conditions. Robustness, reliability, health, consistency were also factors involved.

The Begonia boliviensis specimen eventually selected for Plant Variety Rights as Begonia BONFIRE is very vigorous compared to other specimens available at the time of release. This coupled with knowledge on how to grow the plant to get best performance has resulted in a very fine product.

Trip Notes

The overall trip was a the result of several years research, took almost a year in preparation and two months in the field with the combined efforts (at various times) of more than a dozen people. Overall 451 plant accessions were collected, belonging to 299 plant species. A wide range of environments were covered, from subtropics to frigid high mountains.

"We camped out, travelled by vehicle where we could, then walked, were assailed by mosquitoes and various other blood-sucking insects, sweated in the damp heat of the forest, couldn't sleep much and generally enjoyed the trip immensely." - Stephan Halloy, New Zealand Institute For Crop & Food Research Limited

Bringing the Plant to Nursery

• seeds collected from northern Argentina and Bolivia by Stephan Halloy of New Zealand Institute For Crop & Food Research Limited, Palmerston North
• following subsequent growth and screenings, the most desirable plants were maintained by the Crop and Food Research at Invermay and propagated by Wallis's Nurseries Ltd.
• Anthony Tesselaar International were selected to market the plant globally and plants were introduced into Australia for on-going trial and evaluation, Plant Breeders Rights and production.  Plants have been subsequently sent to Europe and North America where they are in production and early release.

What makes it great!

This begonia has an eye-catching profusion of bright red-orange flowers in Summer covering up to half of the plant. Begonia BONFIRE's interesting foliage has serrated edges highlighted by a red margin, and a neat, bushy growth habit. It's a low maintenance, easy care plant that can be grown from full sun to partial shade. Plants can be left in the ground over winter in temperate areas, however, in cold areas for best performance replant in spring.

• stunning profusion of bright flowers
• sensational as indoor pots of colour
• low maintenance, easy care
• perfect in pots and in the garden
• can be left in garden over Winter in areas where soil does not freeze

Just the Facts

branding	BONFIRE
genus	Begonia
species	boliviensis var.
major use	indoor or patio pots and hanging baskets
other uses	garden landscapes
hardiness	tolerates mild frost
light requirement	grows in full sun to partial shade - in heavy shade may spread producing lower growth, and less large flowers
flower colour	bright red-orange
fragrance	none
flowering period	flowers from Spring through Autumn, until frost
flower size	50mm long x 50mm wide
flower number	up to 50% of the bush can be covered
foliage characteristics	a serrated edge highlighted by a red margin
foliage PMS	5763C
mature height	garden height up to 1m
mature width	garden width up to 1m
growth habit	rounded profile, up to 1 metre wide as a garden plant or in a larger hanging basket
soil needs	performs best in a well drained friable soil or good quality potting mix
water requirements	drought tolerant once established, but for best reults keep moist Spring through Autumn
landscape spacing	50cm apart
fertilizer requirement	fertilize with a flower booster controlled release fertiliser in Spring
pruning/pinching	branches naturally, but will benefit from a pinching to induce side branches and more compact spreading growth
disease tolerance	if grown in heavy wet soils or over watered, stems can rot from fungal diseases
pest issues	generally not damaged by pests, though white fly may cause some damage
special care	no special care