Cultivar
B. ‘Fleecealba’
Photos
2 photos
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. ‘Fleecealba’
- Originator
- Florence Knock
- Date of Origin
- 1947
- Publication Date
- 1952
- Place
- Minnesota
- Country
- USA
- Region
- America
- Plant Type
- Shrub-like
- Female Parent
- B. ‘Sunderbruchii’
- Male Parent
- B. ‘Manda's Woolly Bear’
- Synonyms and Comments
- B. ‘Fleece Alba’
- ABS No
- 2
- Publication Reference
- ABS;B54 a130;B91 r053; Pictorial Cyclopedia of Exotic Plants Hardcover, 1978, A.B.Graf
- Article References
- The Begonian Dec 1952 p. 268
Plant
- Description
- The Begonian Dec 1952 p. 268 The New Fleecealba Begonia – By Florence Knock, Minneapolis, Minnesota The joy we acquire during the anticipation period is alone almost enough to encourage hybridizing. Finally, the day comes when the seed pod is mature, brown and ready to harvest. Later comes the. time to sow the seed, which holds such great potentiality within its wee self. When we see the miracle of germination we almost hold our breath until the true leaves come and we can see which parent the foliage most resembles. This was my experience when I crossed the rhizomatous begonia 'Sunderbruchi' and "Manda's Woolly Bear". The seed seems to be viable about 100%, and the third-generation seedlings are a perfect copy of the first generation. They have characteristics of both parents and that is why I call the new begonia 'FLEECEALBA'. According to the Nomenclature Director, Mr. H. M. Butterfield, this is the second begonia to be registered with The American Begonia Society. From 'Sunderbruchi' it inherited an upright rhizome and fourteen-inch flower stems, which are three-parted. The one inch flowers are pure white, with the usual golden stamens. The largest cluster had 100 flowers and formed a real bouquet all by itself, blooming in late winter. The first two leaves on the seedlings come shiny, bright green, and the third and succeeding leaves come pure white and heavily fleeced. As the leaf grows, the felt becomes more like "Woolly Bear's", and it has that firm, glossy texture. The leaves are peltate and have one point. The foliage somewhat resembles Kellermani, but is thicker and not cupped and· larger. The leaves are seven inches by five on a mature plant. The leaf felt becomes cream-white on older leaves and not brown as on "Woolly Bear". The pure white fleece on the new leaves also resembles the fleece of venosa. 'Fleecealba' is an 'unusually sturdy and easy plant to grow and its large clusters of flowers and its fleecy foliage will arouse new' window gardening interest for any house plant connoisseur.
Lineage
Ancestry tree
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
No populated fields in this section.