B. herbacea has been mislabeled B. lanceolata for a long time, but Dr. Mark Tebbitt has researched the original descriptions of these two species and has found that the names were switched in cultivation. From the original descriptions the plant with the smooth leaf margins should be B. herbacea and the one with the wavy leaf margins should be B. lanceolata. We are changing the names to correspond with the original descriptions. For more details on the mixup, see Dr. Mark Tebbitt’s book, Begonias, Cultivation, Identification, and Natural History, Timber Press,  page 148.

B. herbacea is a native to Brazil and grows naturally in trees as an epiphyte. The leaf margin is smooth and the mature plant does not have spots. This plant can be grown mounted on wood or cork bark or it can grow very well in a pot with good drainage. The flowers are white. Give it very bright light and little extra humidity.

Bright, indirect light, temp. 50 to 95 degrees, 6 to 8 in. tall, allow well drained soil to dry slightly between waterings.

Family: Begoniaceae

This plant is shipped in a 3 - 4 inch pot.