B. ‘Lospe’

BEGONIA 'LOSPE' by Thelma O'Reilly, La Mesa, Calif. One of the most distinct and magnificent of all Begonia species is B. carrieae. Rudy Ziesenhenne spent several years researching this plant before publishing the description and naming it in honor of his long-time friend and cohort, Carrie Karegeannes. B. 'Bowtique', because of its unusual leaf shape, created a sensation when it was introduced at the 1972 National Show in Glendale, Calif. The successful mating of B. 'Bowtique' X B. carrieae promised something special to cherish in our collections. The seed, planted in September 1973, germinated quickly. Seedlings developed into two distinctly different groups of rhizomatous plants, one having plain leaves and the other having sinus spirals. Rudy named the plain-leaved group Begonia 'Lospe' after a Chumash Indian tribe of Santa Barbara County. The spiral-leaved group was given the name B. 'Lospetu', tu being the Indian word for ear. The star attraction of Begonia 'Lospe' is the dull, hairy, rough surface of the leaves that also have the B. bowerae markings on the margins. B. 'Bowtique' is a sport of B. 'Dark Forest' which is a B. bowerae hybrid. Begonia 'Lospe' has medium green, uneven heart-shaped leaves that are 6 ½ inches long and 4 inches wide. They are of medium thickness and are bowed up between the nerves which are hairy below. The petioles and flower stems have red streaks running lengthwise. The kidney shaped white flowers have current red spots on the back of the tepals. Both flowers have two tepals. The blooming cycle is February thru May. The entire plant is hairy. Because of this characteristic I have had some difficulty with propagation. B. 'Lospe' bears registration #487 (see Begonian Feb. 1976). It is available from Rudolf Ziesenhenne, 1130 Milpas St., Santa Barbara, Ca.
Pests Diseases

• Classification: Cultivar
• Plant Type: Rhizomatous
• Origin: America, USA
• Originator: Rudolf Ziesenhenne
• Date of Origin: 1981