My first visit to the Amazon Spheres in Seattle was a kind of horticultural awakening. I have grown a vast array of tropicals in my 35 years of experience in commercial nursery production, but to see these rarest and most beautiful of tropical plants all gathered in one spectacular collection was extraordinary. Visiting the Spheres should be on everyone’s bucket list of places to see. Amidst this impressive collection in the four-story glass domes of Amazon’s indoor garden masterpiece was a small planting of Begonia solimutata, the sun-changing begonia.
B. solimutatais is native to Brazil. It is a rhizomatous begonia, slowly creeping to form a clump 12-18 inches in diameter and growing 6-12 inches tall. It has stunning dark green leaves with lime-green veining that are roughly stippled, giving the leaves a feel like coarse sandpaper. It has dainty white and yellow flowers that are held on short stalks above the foliage. The name solimutata, or sun-changing, refers to the plants ability to change colors in different lighting situations. In more sun, the leaves change to a yellow-green base with rust-colored veining. I personally find the dark green form more attractive, so we tend to grow it in 60% shade at Little Prince.
Spheres, Seattle, Washington.
I have never tried to collect and grow B. solimutata from seed. It propagates easily from leaf cuttings under mist. Like many begonias, it would be easy to grow from tissue culture as well. It prefers a relative humidity above 60% and grows best in rich, well-drained soil. Some toxicity has been reported in animals, so don’t add it to a salad. It does make a beautiful houseplant and has received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. This is definitely a plant to add to your houseplant collection and a great seller in commercial horticulture.
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