ID and an issue

I bought this very pretty and healthy begonia about 2 months ago and all of a sudden all the leaves drooped. There is no sign of insects or fungus. It is probably gone but I would love an ID on it anyway and any thoughts on the sudden decline.

It reminds me of Sierra Silver Mist. How's the soil? Wet, dry? Check the roots?

Are the rhizomes still plump? If so pull them out and get them rooted in a terrarium type container. Same for the leaves.

Thanks Butch. I have done all that already. It is very strange, it has been over a week now and the rhizome looks good and there is still no sign of any bugs or diseases but the leaves are still hanging the petioles don't even look soggy or shrunken, just soft.

How was you trip?

I have a lot of Rexes. They are sensitive to a number of things that make them drop their leaves and play dead when in fact there is a lot of life in the stem or rhizome.

I know I haven't been around for a while. It's been a tough summer.

Hey, how are you??? Sorry to hear you have had a rough summer.

"Drop their leaves and play dead" That's it exactly.

The trip went very well. Saw a lot in a few days - Volcano National Park, Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden, Green Sand Beach, a five hour snorkel trip on the southern Kona coast, Kona Joe's Coffee Place, Mauna Kea (to the visitor center only), Black Sand Beach, etc. The trip back was a killer though.


Leaves come and go but it is a good idea to take any viable leaves and propagate those. The rhizomes should be looked at for rot - if rotting then dig them out, rinse them off, cut away as much rot as possible, rinse again, pat dry, and pot them in an appropriate sized pot - possibly cover to hold humidity as high as possible.

Cathy, hard to pass up on those flashy rexes despite their fussiness at times.

A few begonias in the back yard showing some leaf damage from falling debris.

My Rexes pout from time to time and all at the same time. It appeared that they didn't like A/C in the house so put them out in the hobby GH in filtered sun and they came back. My florist cyclamen does the same thing.

I gave up on florist cyclamen a long time ago. I wonder if I should try them again. Doesn't seem like AC would make rexes pout - did you have them under or next to a vent?

So it seems I have just been fortunate in the past, this is the first time one has just pouted for no reason for me. The rhizome looks good and appears to have new growth starting so maybe all is at least OK if not well yet.

You went to the big island. I loved seeing the real "old Hawaii" there. I never got to see the green sand beach but would have loved to. They kept warning me about the mosquitoes at the Tropical Botanical garden and I had to laugh, Hawaiian mosquitoes are pretty puny compared to a real Lowcountry skeeter. I thought the lava fields around Kona were fascinating but sort of like a moonscape. Seeing plants pop up through the lava was amazing to me.

My Rexs were in a window with limited sun (lots of trees outdoors) in the lower level of the house. The air is kinda still in that area and not by a vent. Could be a combination of things but none of mine were happy. All came back in the warmer hobby GH, out of direct sun and with good air flow. My cyclamen is a permanent resident out there because I've tried bringing it indoors several times during the warmer summer months and it goes into a decline within a week. It's bloomed all summer out there even though the foliage isn't the best. It's now revving up for the cooler weather and still blooming.

Yep, I bought mosquito wipes for everyone and we never had to use them the entire time we were at the botanical garden. I noticed a lot of ferns popping up in the newest lava which I thought it would've been shrubs and trees. Green Sand Beach is off the beaten track - rent a ride from one of the locals to take you and back to the parking lot - $15 a person, and endure the very bumpy 2 to 3 mile ride and dust in your hair, skin, and teeth. When you get to the cliffs and peer over you wonder how in the heck does anyone get down there but once you see the path and steel your nerves, it isn't all that bad. The view is worth it more than the "green" sand - not all that green. The surf is strong and knocked me over and drug me back out but then you catch on how strong it can be and go with the flow. Getting to the southernmost point of the USA takes you from lush tropical growth in the highlands, across volcano fields, and wind down to grassland (very hot and dry here), past some windmills and trees that look like divi-divi trees in Aruba.

Cindy, I might have to try a couple of cyclamen again if I have room to squeeze them in...

Here are a few photos of the Green Sand Beach.