Cultivar
B. ‘Hazel Snodgrass’
Photos
2 photos
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. ‘Hazel Snodgrass’
- Originator
- Gene Daniels
- Date of Origin
- 1970
- Place
- Camarillo, Ca.
- Country
- USA
- Region
- America
- Plant Type
- Shrub-like
- Female Parent
- B. ‘Brazil Species No. 4?’
- Male Parent
- B. paulensis
- ABS No
- 269
- Publication Reference
- ABS; B70 a252; The Begonian, Dec 1979;
- Article References
- Begonian 46:291. 1979;
- Photo References
- JBS, Begonias :20. 1980; Begonian 46:291. 1979;
Plant
- Description
- Tall upright growing bold and beautiful shrub-like cultivar.; Big, bold and beautiful-that's B. 'Hazel Snodgrass'. Classified as shrub like; distinctive foliage, unusual surface or coloring, this is the result of a cross made by Gene Daniels. The parent plants were B. paulensis and B. Brazil species #4. Unlike its parent, B. paulensis, B. 'Hazel Snodgrass' is very easy to grow. It was named for a devoted member of the Theodosia Burr Shepherd branch, an ardent worker for ABS. Stems of this tall, upright grower are red with white hairs. The underside of the leaf is rosy red, the top having red veins and a red dot where the leaf meets the stem. The lightly pebbled surface has tiny white hairs and the edges of the leaves are often rose-red. Flowers are white and held on long stalks. The male flowers have tiny red hairs on the back of the petals. My plant originally came from a single leaf acquired in California five years ago. As the leaf was quite large, I trimmed it to dollar size and placed it in propagation mix. It grew rapidly under fluorescent lights. When the plant grew to 5 inches in height, I cut off the top inch of the stem, forcing several stems to grow at soil level. This produced a rather compact plant with short internodes and it bloomed in summer. When the stems grew too close to the lights to suit me, I cut them off about 5 inches above the pot level. Each stem had a diameter of three- fourths inch. New stems soon appeared with smaller leaves. This procedure resulted in a rather spreading plant. Now growing in a five-inch pot, it continues to be a gorgeous plant under lights. It has seven stems and is spreading outward and downward instead of upright. One, growing in the greenhouse in a 6-inch pot, I cut back to within 3 inches of the pot level last fall. Now it spreads to 12 inches across and is only 8 inches high. None of the leaves measures more than 4 inches in length. Although I do not have the space for tall-growing plants, I did permit one to grow at will. It is now 20 inches tall with 6 upright stems. The leaves are quite large, 11 inches by 6 inches, and at this writing is in bloom. If the weather is very hot during the summer months, B. 'Hazel Snodgrass' tends to wilt in my greenhouse if not kept well-watered. As my fluorescent light plant room never gets hotter than 75 degrees, there is no problem with watering there. However, the one in the greenhouse has been overwatered, underwatered and otherwise often neglected but it stays in good condition winter and summer. B. 'Hazel Snodgrass' roots readily from leaves, but stem cuttings root more quickly and produce new plants in a short time. It grows beautifully in my own potting mix but I have seen it growing to perfection in packaged potting mixes recommended for African violets. I assume, therefore, that our members, wherever they live and whatever potting mix they use, will find it a most satisfactory addition to their collections.
- Growth Type
- Upright
- Stem Type
- Upright
- Stem Habit
- Few branched
Lineage
Parents
Ancestry tree
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
No populated fields in this section.