Begonia dregei
species of plant
Begonia dregei, the maple leaf begonia, grape-leaf begonia, or bonsai begonia, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Begonia native to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa.
One of its most notable features is the swollen caudex, which stores moisture.
Distribution and habitat
B. dregei is a drought-tolerant perennial herb. It grows primarily in forests near the coast, up to an altitude of 600m. They grow in small, isolated groups in the wild and cross-hybridize easily, which has historically caused some confusion.
Plant Physiology
B. dregei is considered semi-tuberous, though it forms a woody caudex at its base, not a tuber. The woody caudex, small leaves, and the upright, branching growth habit makes the plant look tree-like, so B. dregei is sometimes grown as an herbaceous bonsai.
Etymology
The specific epithet dregei is for Johann Franz Drège, a German horticulturist who spent lots of time is South Africa.
History
B. dregei was introduced in 1800, making it one of the earliest begonias in Great Britain. It was first collected from the Cape of Good Hope.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Begonia dregei” is species of plant. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Begonia, dregei and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of plant” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2128875. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1800.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Begonia dregei” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.