Cultivar
B. ‘Frau Maria Brandt’
Identity
- Genus
- Begonia
- Name
- B. ‘Frau Maria Brandt’
- Originator
- Perring
- Date of Origin
- 1880
- Publication Date
- 1883
- Country
- Germany
- Region
- Europe
- Plant Type
- Semperflorens
- Publication Reference
- F; WBHC-WW
- Article References
- Garten-Zeitung. Berlin, P. Parey. Jahrg.2 (1883): pg 49-50 (Translated using Google Translate) http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/105375
Plant
- Description
- Garten-Zeitung. Berlin, P. Parey. Jahrg.2 (1883): pg 49-50 (Translated using Google Translate) http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/105375 Begonia hybrida - Frau Marie Brandt, a new group of plants. By Von W. Perring. Inspector of Konigl. Botanical Garden in Berlin. At the beginning of April of this year, I received a large lot of Begonia Davisi from Herr Brandt, head gardener, in Charlottenburg for the local botanical garden. I intended to use this beautiful species of begonia in the middle of May to plant groups, and therefore gave the young plants every possible care. They also developed extraordinarily quickly, and very soon broke our own seedlings from the tubers-begonia breed. This fact convinced me at once that the plants obtained could not be genuine Begonia Davisis, since this species remains very low and is similar in the habit of B. Froebeli. In the further development of the plants the greater part of them proved to be Begonia Schmidti, a smaller number appeared to B. semperflorens. Mr. Brandt, too, had the same result from his own plants harvested from self-harvested seeds. A similar case, where only plants of Begonia semperflorens or B. Schmidti were obtained from sowing self-harvested tuberous seeds, have already come to my knowledge several times in this as well as in earlier years. It is probable that in all these cases, one or more seed capsules of those species, which are known to be very light and abundant in seed, are accidentally removed, and their seeds have been sown together with those of tubers. The very fine seeds of begonia are almost always sown too closely, so that the seed-plants must be picked immediately after the rising, for which usually only the strongest plants are chosen, and the weaker ones are regarded as superfluous. Most probably also the fast-growing plants of Begonia Schmidti and B. semperflorens out grow the small, slower-growing seeds of the desired species of begonia, or even of their still germinated seeds, get thrown out, because the seeds have already been more than covered by the strong plants of the former species. According to these experiences, it is advisable either to remove the two species of begonia mentioned from the collection, or to separate them from the plants selected for sowing so that the collection of their seed-capsules can not take place by accident. While Mr. Brandt continued the greatest part of his seedlings, as both B. Schmidti and B. semperforens can not be used as commercial plants here, I retained the same as to use them as group plants. B. Schmidti I used as groups of leaf plants and for the planting of shady beds, where other plants no longer thrive well. For both purposes, this begonia has been well preserved, so that I can recommend its application. Since all Begonia semperflorens were already in bloom after mid-May, I used the same way as the tuberous groups in excellent places. Here the plants were constantly in full bloom until October, and were not significantly affected even by the long periods of rainy season of the last summer, while the blooms of many other group plants, such as tubers, pelargoniums, etc., were damaged. In the middle of September, I set some specimens of the Begonia seedlings to winter in pots, and placed in a warm, dry, greenhouse, where they continued to bloom indefinitely (30th November). At the end of October, when the tops of the plants, which had remained in the open, were frozen, I left several of them in pots and sharply cut back their stems. These plants developed new shoots, and afterwards they were again flowers, after they had stood briefly in the greenhouse next to the specimens first employed; even the smallest stems in all their leaf-axes bear flower-stands. After comparing this begonia with B. semperflorens, which is the most similar to it, and B. Schmidti, both in the open and in the greenhouse, I have come to the conclusion that it is a bastard between the two species mentioned probably due to a crossing caused by insects. Under the consent of the accidental breeder of this begonia, Herr handelsgartnereibesitzers BRANDT in Charlottenburg, who will bring them into the market in the spring of 1883, I have she was named after his wife 'Frau Marie Brandt'. This grateful begonia unites the good qualities of her parents, the pleasing growth, and the abundance of flowers of B. Schmidti, with the beautiful green foliage, and the shining white, red-faced flowers of B. semperflorens. It develops from the ground numerous, smooth, light brown stalks. Their leaves are somewhat smaller and darker than those of the B. semperflorens. Likewise, their flowers are somewhat smaller than those of the species; on the other hand, they develop many more flowers, more individual flowers than those. The specimens, planted in the middle of the garden during the summer in the open in Lauberde, reached only a height of 25 cm to the autumn, and formed a uniformly thick, almost flower-covered bush. In view of these characteristics and the lack of really good white-flowered group plants with a long flowering period, I can recommend the begonia 'Frau Marie Brandt' as one of the best flowers for planting in groups and carpet beds. For this purpose, it will undoubtedly become more widespread, and may also prove to be a viable market plant for the winter.
Lineage
Parents
No parentage recorded.
Descendants
No recorded descendants.
Culture
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