Begonias
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40 free Begonias trivia questions with answers — science & nature quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Begonias are among the most widely grown ornamental plants in the world, at home on windowsills, in hanging baskets and in summer flower beds. Behind the familiar blooms is a surprisingly strange genus, with lopsided foliage, an unexpected family tree and a history that runs through plant hunters, navies and popular music. This quiz turns the best begonia fun facts into questions: how the plants got their name, where they first evolved, what makes their foliage and flowers unusual, and which famous varieties descend from which wild species. A few questions cover care, safety around pets and the festivals held in the flower's honour. It suits gardeners, houseplant collectors, students and anyone who has ever wondered about the plant on the patio. Every answer comes with a short explanation, so you can guess first and learn the story afterwards.
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Q 01A strikingly dark begonia described from Borneo in 2014 was named after which Star Wars villain?
Darth Vader
Darth Vader inspired the name Begonia darthvaderiana because the plant's unusually dark look reminded its describers of the warrior. The same paper named Begonia amidalae after Padmé Amidala.
Q 02Begonia flowers come in almost every colour, but which one is missing from the range?
Blue
Blue is the one colour missing, so whites, pinks, scarlets, yellows and oranges are as far as begonia flowers go. Even the fanciest double-flowered hybrids obey the rule.
Q 03The only member of the begonia family that is not a begonia grows wild in which US state?
Hawaii
Hawaii is the only home of Hillebrandia sandwicensis, the lone species of its family outside the genus Begonia. It survives in wet, wooded ravines on Maui, Molokai and Kauai.
Q 04Botanists place begonias in the same plant order as which family of familiar garden vegetables?
Gourds
Gourds, the family of pumpkins, cucumbers and melons, share the order Cucurbitales with begonias. The begonia family is the bigger of the two, with about twice as many species.
Q 05Which rock band released the song Scarlet Begonias on the 1974 album From the Mars Hotel?
Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead first played it live in March 1974, with words by Robert Hunter and music by Jerry Garcia. From 1977 the band often paired it on stage with Fire on the Mountain.
Q 06The biennial Flower Carpet, traditionally woven from begonias, fills the Grand-Place of which European capital?
Brussels
Brussels has staged its Flower Carpet since 1971, with about 120 volunteers laying at least half a million blooms in a single day. The 2024 edition broke with tradition and used dahlias.
Q 07People in some parts of the world eat begonias; how do most of the plants taste?
Sour
Sour is the usual verdict, and the tang comes with a catch: begonias are safe to nibble in small amounts but potentially toxic in large quantities.
Q 08Which unusual feature do the leaves of most begonias share, whatever their size or pattern?
Two unequal halves
Two unequal halves give most begonia leaves a lopsided outline, with the left and right sides different sizes. The shape gave the first angel wing begonias their name.
Q 09A Malaysian begonia with iridescent leaves earned a nickname taken from which bird?
Peacock
Peacock begonia is the nickname of Begonia pavonina, and the sheen is no ornament: the leaves are adapted to capture as much light as possible in the dim undergrowth of mountain forests.
Q 10The begonia Kimjongilia, named for a North Korean leader, was bred by a botanist from which country?
Japan
Japan was home to Kamo Mototeru, who presented the flower as a token of friendship for Kim Jong Il's 46th birthday. It is grown to bloom on that date each February.
Q 11Roughly how many different species of begonia have botanists named around the world so far?
About 2,000
About 2,000 is the usual count, which makes Begonia one of the largest genera of flowering plants. One of them, Begonia giganticaulis, can reach 3.6 metres, nearly twelve feet tall.
Q 12The begonia is named after Michel Bégon, a 17th-century official and plant collector from which country?
France
France sent Bégon to administer its Caribbean islands in the 1680s, and he became the patron of the botanist who later named the plants after him.
Q 13Begonias grow wild across the tropics, but on which continent is the genus thought to have originated?
Africa
Africa is considered the centre of origin: begonia ancestors are thought to have spread from there into Asia and to have reached the Americas at least twice.
Q 21What causes the silvery polka dots on the leaves of the popular houseplant Begonia maculata?
Trapped air
Trapped air in the leaf's outer skin scatters light to make each spot. One theory holds that the dots mimic butterfly eggs, persuading real butterflies to lay elsewhere.
Q 22The polka dot begonia, first described from Corcovado mountain, is native to which country?
Brazil
Brazil is its home: the species grows beneath the canopy of the Atlantic rainforest, and the plant that botanist Giuseppe Raddi named in 1820 came from a peak in central Rio de Janeiro.
Q 23The hardy begonia, Begonia grandis, which survives frosty winters outdoors, comes from which country?
China
Q 14The wild ancestors of modern tuberous begonias were collected in the 1860s in which mountain range?
The Andes
The Andes yielded three species to plant hunter Richard Pearce, and London nurserymen crossed them into the first hybrid tuberous begonias within a few years.
Q 15Begonia masoniana's dark leaf marking earned it a common name taken from which military decoration?
Iron Cross
Iron Cross begonia carries a bold dark brown pattern at the centre of each textured green leaf. It was first described from garden plants and only much later rediscovered in the wild.
Q 16In floriography, the traditional language of flowers, a gift of begonias carries which message?
A warning
A warning is the traditional reading, with begonias variously said to mean be careful, take heed or even that the pair are being watched.
Q 17Which group of begonias is the staple of massed summer bedding displays in parks and gardens?
Wax
Wax begonias, named for their thick, shiny leaves, are hybrids of at least five species. They are tougher than they look: brought indoors for the winter, a plant can live up to five years.
Q 18Growers say the largest tuberous begonia blooms can spread as wide as which item of tableware?
A dinner plate
A dinner plate is the yardstick growers use for the biggest blooms, while the smallest are barely half an inch across. Some varieties are even scented.
Q 19Most begonias evolved beneath forest trees, so which light conditions suit them best in a garden?
Bright shade
Bright shade copies the light beneath a tree canopy, where most wild begonias live. Few will tolerate full sun, especially in warmer climates.
Q 20What do tuberous begonias do each winter that sets them apart from most other begonias?
Go dormant
Go dormant is the answer: the top growth dies back and the tuber rests, so gardeners can lift it and store it somewhere cool and dry until spring.
China is home to this exception in a mostly tropical genus. Its top growth dies as temperatures fall, and the plant survives as tubers and tiny bulbils formed where the leaves join the stem.
Q 24Cane begonias take their name from thick, jointed stems that resemble which other plant?
Bamboo
Bamboo is the comparison: the stems are thick and upright, with swollen nodes. Some cane cultivars can grow three to five metres tall.
Q 25Which acid, also found in rhubarb leaves, makes begonias toxic if eaten in large quantities?
Oxalic
Oxalic acid runs through begonia tissues, so a nibble is harmless but a large helping is not. The compound takes its name from wood sorrel, Oxalis, where chemists first isolated it.
Q 26According to the ASPCA, which part of a begonia is the most toxic to cats and dogs?
Underground parts
Underground parts are the most toxic, the charity says, and the culprits are soluble calcium oxalates, which make begonias poisonous to horses as well.
Q 27An old legend says the autumn-flowering hardy begonia first sprang from which trace of a woman pining for her beloved?
Her tears
Her tears, shed beneath a wall as she longed for someone she could not see, are said to have sprouted the plant, which was called the heartbreaking flower and became a symbol of love.
Q 28The begonia Kimjongilia is a floral emblem of North Korea, but which bloom is the country's national flower?
Magnolia
Magnolia holds the official title, in the form of Siebold's magnolia. The country's other famous namesake bloom, Kimilsungia, is an orchid, so neither leader's flower is the national one.
Q 29Rex begonias can be propagated in an unusual way, from a cut section of which plant part?
A leaf
A leaf is enough, and for this group even a section of one will root and grow into a new plant. Most other begonias are multiplied by division or stem cuttings.
Q 30Astronomer Karl Reinmuth, who named many discoveries after plants, gave the name Begonia to what?
An asteroid
An asteroid about 70 kilometres wide, 943 Begonia orbits in the outer part of the main belt. Reinmuth found it from Heidelberg in 1920 and later named a run of 28 such bodies after plants.