Presentation & Workshop Archive

Virtual Education series
A benefit of membership in the American Begonia Society is having access to the library of video lectures by guest experts from around the world. The Virtual Education Videos make for great pre-packaged meeting presentations. Whether you are in a branch or simply a member of the society, these videos are available for you to watch and enjoy. This link takes you to the ‘Virtual Education Videos ’ already residing on the drop-down menu in our Membership Portal.

Presentation: What IS a Begonia?
What exactly is a Begonia? This is a great presentation to introduce begonias and to address the many different ways people interpret what makes a Begonia, a Begonia? Growth types, how they differ between countries, and characteristics that define different types of begonias. A good program to open up a discussion on what makes a plant a Begonia to you?

Presentation: Superba Type Begonias
Superba begonias is an opinion piece; you may or may not agree with it, but it does give a solid history of the superba type begonias; where they originated, and who worked on hybridizing them. Like a lot of history it is often hard to follow how we got from way back then to the current day, especially when it comes to naming groups of plants by characteristics. But it makes for good discussion and conversation for your group!

Presentation: Sections of Begoniaceae
Begoniaceae has over 2,000 species. It is getting harder and harder to distinguish between many of these species. Taxonomists have begun using phylogenetics to show how different species and groups of species are related to one another. The Sections of Begoniaceae presentation is an attempt to take all of the taxonomy and nomenclature and make it a bit easier to understand. Read through the presentation and speaker notes ahead of time to see if you feel comfortable presenting the information.

Presentation: Plant of the Month B. roseopunctata
Plant of the Month is a quick overview of species and cultivars. A bit of the history and taxonomy, and some culture tips but kept to a short format. B. roseopunctata was first documented in 2004. It is a beautifully spotted species with intense pink spots on the leaves when young, until foliage matures; at that point the mature leaves turn solid green.

Presentation: Plant of the Month – B. metallicolor
Plant of the Month is a quick overview of species and cultivars. A bit of the history and taxonomy, and some culture tips but kept to a short format. B. metallicolor is a very colorful Begonia characterized by elongated and asymmetrical leaves, slightly embossed, entirely red on the reverse, but with iridescent reflections of an intense metallic blue-green.

Presentation: Plant of the Month – B. ignita
Plant of the Month is a quick overview of species and cultivars. A bit of the history and taxonomy, and some culture tips but kept to a short format. B. ignita is a lovely Begonia from the Island of Sulawesi in Indonesia and got its name from its orange-colored flowers – in Latin ‘igneaus’ means flame-colored.

Presentation: Plant of the Month – B. goldingiana & B. ruhlandiana
Plant of the Month is a quick overview of species and cultivars. A bit of the history and taxonomy, and some culture tips but kept to a short format. B. goldingiana & B. ruhlandiana are two similar Brazilian species. Comparing and contrasting between the two is a great way to refine your Begonia identification skills!

Presentation: Plant of the Month – B. aurantiflora
Plant of the Month is a quick overview of species and cultivars. A bit of the history and taxonomy, and some culture tips but kept to a short format. Begonia aurantiflora (sect. Coelocentrum) from limestone areas in Guangxi, China, is one of the few species in China with orange flowers.

Presentation: A Tribute to Mike Kartuz
Michael J. Kartuz joined ABS in the early 1950’s. He had just started a mail order nursery that would become Kartuz Greenhouses. As Kartuz Greenhouses, Mike combined his own skills as a hybridizer with those of other hybridizers for the next 70 years. For those 70 years Kartuz Greenhouse was a constant supporter of ABS, a source of amazing plants, and a center for hybrid begonias in profusion. Mike passed away in 2022 and the Sacramento Branch of ABS put together this tribute to the man.

Presentation: ABS Hybrids, the people and the plants
When you see a Begonia plant named for someone but do not know who the person was, you are missing most of the fun. Buxton Branch of ABS put together this presentation which links the people to the begonias they were named for and brings them to life. It is wonderfully detailed and might be a presentation you would extend over a couple meetings because there is enough information for it. Easy to enjoy whether your audience is beginner, advanced, or intermediate.

Presentation: Begonia Leaf Characteristics
This presentation covers all basic leaf characteristics in a simple, beginner friendly fashion. It also covers some key points in nomenclature, tips on using botanical Latin, and modern horticulture. Great photos to underline plant descriptions, explaining botany and identification.

Presentation: How Begonia Species Get Their Names
This is a wonderfully detailed, advanced topic covering over 30 species of Begonias, who discovered them and when, as well as the reasons for the names they were given. This program can be done at one meeting, but also might be something that can be done as a smaller spotlight of each meeting, as it is very detailed.

Presentation: Scented Begonias
This is a presentation by Sharon Rosenzweig, Buxton Branch, discussing fragrance in begonias and a listing of some of the more common fragrant begonias that can be found. The handout also includes a good overview of the names of plant parts, including flowers, whole plant, leaves, and leaf shapes. 

PowerPoint: Scented Begonias  

Handout: Scented Begonias 

Workshop: Begonia 101
This is a workshop that was synthesized from information on the Houston Astros branch website, The Begonian and the International Database of Begoniaceae. It is a simple lecture, no activity, showing the different growth types of Begonias and giving a bit of information on what they look like and how to care for them. A talk for beginners.

Supplies needed
Examples:
Have experienced members bring in examples of the different growth types from their collection and ask new members to bring example plants from home. That way after the lecture you can look around, talk and share stories, and help beginners to identify the different types of plants.