Species of plant
Begonia acetosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Begoniaceae, native to southeastern Brazil.[2] It is used to create new begonia hybrids due to its attractive foliage.[3][4] Begonia acetosa has been cultivated in the United States since 1946, when Mulford B. Foster introduced the species from forested mountains near Rio de Janeiro.[5] It was first described in 1831 by José Mariano de Conceição Vellozo. The specific epithet acetosa means 'acid' or 'sour', referring to the rhubarb-like taste of its leaves.[5]
Begonia acetosa is an herbaceous, creeping, rhizomatous begonia, growing up to 1 m (3 ft) tall. It has thick, horizontally spreading, pale green branches. Leaves are ovate to orbicular, and asymmetrical.[6][5] The leaves are a dull green on the upper surface and a deep wine red on the under surface. Both the underside and upper surface of the leaf are covered with a dense layer of short white hairs. Petioles are a rusty reddish brown to a deep red, and covered in short, woolly hairs. The flowers of B. acetosa are white.[6]
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