Begonia maculata 'Pink Variegated'

Begonia maculata 'Pink Variegata' is the most sought-after and least stable of the maculata variegated forms. Instead of the usual white/cream sectoring, chimeric tissue expresses as rose-pink patches and speckling alongside the species' signature silver polka dots. Pink pigmentation in variegated aroids and begonias alike tends to be genetically unstable and reverts more readily than white variegation, which keeps supply exceptionally tight and prices well above the white-variegated forms. Plants are typically sold as single-leaf or few-leaf cuttings rather than mature specimens, since pink-sectored growth is slow and disproportionately valuable per leaf.

Native range

Cultivated selection (derived from Begonia maculata, native to southeastern Brazil, Atlantic Forest)

Classification

Genus

Begonia

Family

Begoniaceae

Type

Variegated

Growth habit

Upright cane, bamboo-like

Form of

Begonia maculata

Morphology

Leaf shape

Asymmetrical, angel-wing / oblique-ovateEgg-shaped leaves, with the wider end near the base. with pointed tip

Leaf length

10-18 cm

Leaf width

5-8 cm

Petiole colour

Short, reddish, occasionally pink-blushed

Venation

Visible on green tissue, faint through pink sectors

Texture

Thin, semi-glossy, deep red undersides

Variegation

Irregular rose-pink sectoring and fine pink speckling interspersed with the base silver-spotted green, a chimericVariegation caused by a cell mutation. Often produces high contrast but can be unstable and revert to all-green. sport like the other variegated forms here but with unstableVariegation that is prone to disappearing (reverting to solid green) if lighting conditions are poor or if not pruned. pink (rather than white/cream) pigment sectoring, which is more reversion-prone; propagates true only from cuttings taken at a pink-sectored node

Growth habit

Upright segmented bamboo-like canes