Common Name: Mallet Begonia 'Arabian Sunset'
Begonias are a popular terrestrial plant that thrives in terrarium or paludarium setups, or as a house plant. Begonia Arabian Sunset is a hybrid begonia that was created in 1992. This hybrid is most similar to cane begonias, also known as "Angel Wing" begonias. Cane-like begonias have long stems with swollen joints that resemble the nodes on a bamboo cane. Flowers and new leaves will emerge from these nodes. Begonia Arabian Sunset is classified in the Mallet subdivision of Cane-like begonias, meaning the leaves will have hints of maroon and red. The leaves of Mallet Begonias have a tear drop shape with ruffled edges, with a pair of leaves looking like angel wings. Having bright pink flowers that contrast well with the dark foliage, makes Begonia Arabian Sunset a great plant to brighten up any household.
Similar to other cane-like begonias, Begonia Arabian Sunset is not difficult to care for. Cane-type begonias enjoy bright indirect light, but will grow in shaded areas. Overexposure to light can be more detrimental to begonias than less light. Begonias do not do well being over watered, allow the soil to dry in between watering. If leaves start to crisp along the edges, humidity may be too low or the plant is being overexpose to light. Begonia Arabian Sunset, along with other cane-like begonias are easy to propagate, simply take a cutting with 2-4 nodes and place in water or soil. Roots may be stimulated by administration of rooting hormones. Seeds are not usually grown from hybrid species because the seeds will not produce plants identical to the parent.
Notes:
Family Name: Begoniaceae
Size: 12-15 inches
Ph: 6.0-7.5
Temperature: 40-80 F
Care: Easy
Light: Shaded Light to bright indirect light
Water: Allow soil to dry between watering
Propagation: Herbaceous stem cutting
Growth rate: Medium
Overall rating: 3.3043478 / 5 from 23 reviews.
Review topics: [plants, roots].
"My plant arrived as a cutting. It had absolutely no roots. The leaves were falling off. If you are selling cuttings, that’s fine but you have to state that. I am supposed to get a refund but I paid more in shipping than the plant so we will see. Giving a 2 because they responded to my email, otherwise it would be a 1."
"Came in decent shape there was some root structure and it's looked stunning out the box the leaves looked like they were struggling a little bit my package sat for and extra day since I was out of town. But after I got it into its terrarium it's thriving so far. I even put a small portion on a tank to see how that goes."
"Received four or five stem/leaf cuttings. Arrived in great condition. These are a little finicky. I have two of the cuttings in a terrarium where they seem to be happy. I’m trying to adjust the two other cuttings to being a houseplant but the leaves are already shriveling a bit. Much less shock if you put them in a terrarium as soon as you get them. Going to be worth waiting for the plants to adjust as the foliage is stunning. Very red stems and bottoms of leaves"
"The item came as just peices of a plant. Normally, you could blame this on shipping however there was no root anywhere to be found. It was literally just a couple stem and leaf cuttings in a plastic baggy. Which was already decomposing by the time of its arrival"
"It's a lovely plant. I got right at first time purchase in planting but not so lucky when I re purchase it."
"A beautiful and delicate plant. Well protected and couldn't wait to get her in a good indirect light area. Hgave her a little wa Get And she perked right up. Thank you."
"Plant looked like it was grown in water and did not respond well to terrestrial life"
"Cold shocked, died upon arrival. Heat packs weren't activates"
"GORGEOUS! you kind of have to know what you're doing with begonias, to be successful with this one. it came as cuttings but they're very simple to root. this is best as a terrarium plant that needs some level of humidity, and it will grow without hitch! im obsessed!"
"Recieved CUTTINGS— not an actual rooted plant; approximately 3-4 cuttings in a pot. It's very fragile when it comes in, and will very likely drop several leaves. However, I learned the best way to get the stems rooting is to use stratum, or planted tank substrate that is moist and watered and keep it in a closed jar. The roots will become visible from the nodules and new leaves will come quickly afterwards. Unfortunately, it took me some trial and error to learn this, and I lost more than 80% of the entire plant before having success with a single stem left. That single stem is flourishing, though, and has new leaves forming. I plan to order more, now that I know the correct way to be able to succeed with it."
