Begonia amphioxus

Begonia amphioxus is a cane-stemmed begonia recorded only from two limestone hills, Batu Punggul and Batu Tinahas, in the Pensiangan District of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. It is uncommon even there, growing at the foot of limestone cliffs and on rock faces in light to moderate shade beneath the forest canopy. Its narrow leaves are 5–12 cm long and at least five times longer than wide, tapering to a sharp point at both ends, green with deep crimson spots and a red rim along the margin. Many are peltate — the leaf stalk joins the underside of the blade rather than its edge — and they are held on reddish, upright canes that reach about 40 cm, with small greenish flowers that are easy to overlook beside the foliage. Botanic-garden growers in Sabah and at Kew have found it easy to grow, but in the drier air of a home it does best in a closed terrarium with humidity above 60%, filtered light and an airy, fast-draining mix kept lightly moist; it often drops leaves after a move and takes two to three weeks to settle.