Iron Cross Begonia
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Iron Cross Begonia is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Soluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs: Kidney failure (in grazing animals), vomiting, salivation in dogs/cats. Most toxic part is underground. ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Soluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs: Kidney failure (in grazing animals), vomiting, salivation in dogs/cats. Most toxic part is underground. ASPCA
- Toxic to people. The bulbs are ornamental and should not be eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- The bulbs are ornamental and should not be eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- As active growth slows, water slightly less, letting the soil surface become nearly dry before watering. The plant likes high humidity, which a tray of gravel and water under the pot can raise, but avoid overwatering it.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Iron cross begonia is propagated from leaf or stem cuttings.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from seed, leaf cuttings or rhizome sections.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by aphids, mealybugs, and slugs and snails. Diseases: bacterial leaf spot.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by aphids, vine weevil, glasshouse thrips, mites, mealybugs and caterpillars. Diseases: rhizome rot, stem rot, powdery mildews and grey moulds.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Begonia masoniana, the iron cross begonia, is a species of plant in the family Begoniaceae, native to southern China and northern Vietnam. It was originally described from cultivated plants of unknown origin and was only much later rediscovered in the wild.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- China (Guangxi) to VietnamWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Eastern coast of China south to VietnamNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026China, VietnamRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- perennial or rhizomatous geophyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial; habit broad, dense, erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–18 in; width 12–18 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers green, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers green in summer; white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.