B. 'L. R. Russell'

Shortly before the beginning of the last war the firm: of Van Houtte in Ghent, Belgium, displayed at flower shows at Ghent' three new, valuable bush begonias: 'Axel Lange', 'L. H. Russel' and 'Frau Hoffman'.. Although two-'L. R. Russel' and 'Frau Hoffmann' remind one strongly of the rex-begonias produced by crossing B. rex with B. diadema, this is not the case. In the production of these new sorts not. two but a number of parents were' utilized besides. the already mentioned rex; B. Griffithi and 'President Carnot' played a role.

Begonia 'L, R. Russel', on the other hand, has a decided similarity with the rex 'Sperber', a breeding of the firm Geb. TeupeI in Quedlinburg; Germany. Not only with the growth but especially the leaf form the B: rex x .B. diadema blood is' expressed. The basic color is dark green with the bronze veins showing, through, while. the entire leaf is covered with markings of silver-grey, to bright rose. It is named after the wife of the Englishman G. B. Russel, owner of the large nursery in Richmond near London.

B. X L. R. RUSSELL (not L. R. Russel as quoted) was introduced in the 1937 Catalogue of L. R. Russell Ltd., the British Nurseryman. I must confess I found it the least attractive of the three, and I have since discarded it.

• Classification: Cultivar
• Plant Type: Rex Cultorum
• Origin: Europe, UK
• Originator: Russell
• Date of Origin: 1937