Rex begonia
Begonia rex-cultorum
Also called Painted-leaf begonia and King begonia
Houseplant · BegoniasWater the soil and never the leaves — wet foliage is how mildew takes hold.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Very hard
- Water
- Every 5 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- High
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 0.3 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Cultivated hybrid
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: vomiting and drooling in dogs and cats; kidney failure in grazing animals. The part below ground is the most toxic.
The whole plant; the underground parts most of all.
Begonias carry soluble oxalates, concentrated in the tubers. That is documented but is not in either catalogue this bank holds — ASPCA answers only about animals, and the RHS harmful list does not carry Begonia at all.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Round white patches like dropped flour on the upper leaf surface, appearing first on the leaves packed into the middle of the plant where the air is still.Powdery mildew · disease
- The plant wilts with damp compost and lifts out of the pot with almost no root left; C-shaped white grubs with brown heads in the compost.Vine weevil · pest