Begonia Metachroa

Begonia Metachroa is like the forgotten cousin of the Peacock Begonia that everyone lusts over (B. pavonina). Seems vigorous in vivarium care, and is highly iridescent, shimmering depending on the angle of the light hitting them. This plant has also stayed a manageable size in my care. Finding information on this species as Begonia metachroa is very difficult; it’s suggested to be a native of Brazil, others say Mexico. It has also come to my attention that the plant in the hobby is a horticultural selection, and separately B. metachroa is officially synonymized with Begonia involucrata and may also be known as Begonia involucrata var. purpurascens. And, on top of that, the plant we know as “Metachroa” may not even be a true species; some hypothesize it is a hybrid of unknown origin as it doesn’t appear to bloom.

Sold in a 2″ cup, minimum 4-6 leaves. As with all plants, the smallest one shown in the photos is our target minimum…yours may be larger. XLG also shown.

General Care Information

Grows as a rhizomatous type Begonia. Leaf color and quantity will vary from individual to individual based on age and culture conditions here; do not expect your plants to look identical to either of the ones shown here! Requires high humidity.

About MiniWaters Vivarium Plants

Any plant whose cultivation condition is denoted as “sanitized” has been put through MiniWater’s bleach treatment and have been held in animal-free conditions following this treatment. While we do not guarantee our plants to be disease and pest free, we believe we are offering the lowest-risk plants possible. We encourage all customers to sanitize any plants they purchase from us, or any other vendor or hobbyist, prior to their use with your animals.

Visit www.MiniWaters.fish/vivplants for further details about how we grow our plants animal-free with organic methodologies while integrated pest management protocols, as well as detailed instructions for our bleach-sanitizing process.