We find this elegant variety of the Begonia figured and described in the London Florist Magazine, from which our illustration and description are taken.

Fig. 172. - Begonia Bolivensis.

"Few collectors have been more successful in adding to our stores of useful plants than Mr. Pearce, who has for so long been engaged in ransacking portions of South America in the interests of Messrs. Veitch & Son, of Chelsea; his discoveries are such that they come within the reach of a large number of horticulturists, from their being adapted to green-house culture; and in this, one of the most recent of his introductions, we think we can hail another valuable addition to our new plants. We learn from the Botanical Magazine, in which it has just been figured, that it was discovered by Weddell in the Cordillera of Bolivia; but we suppose it was merely retained as a dried specimen in his herbarium, for it was regarded as quite a new plant when sent home by Mr. Pearce; and we know that when it was exhibited at the Paris International Show in May, it attracted more of the attention both of botanists and horticulturists than any plant there exhibited. It was afterward shown at the Royal Horticultural Society at Kensington, and was greatly admired.

The root is tuberous, and the stem rises from it to the height of about two feet, although possibly under cultivation it may become larger; the flowers are very freely produced in groups of two and three, springing from the main stem, and hang down gracefully, displaying their brilliant scarlet color very well. There is a good deal of peculiarity in the structure of the plant differing from other Begonias, which makes it a plant of considerable interest to botanists. It often happens with our new introductions, however, that many of them are interesting both to the botanist and horticulturist; this Begonia is one of these, and as we believe it to be of very easy cultivation, we expect that it will be, ere long, very generally grown; at any rate, by all those who can appreciate this class of plants, it must be regarded as one of no common order of merit."