This begonia with a Dutch name is one of the smaller begonias. It is an ideal way to fill a bare spot in a terrarium with its profusion of yellow flowers. The flowers turn a reddish orange towards the centre where they have a cluster of yellow stamens and a yellow pistil. Red stems make an attractive contrast with the rest of the plant.

Begonia vankerckhovenii grows best in a terrarium, where it is easy to cultivate. It needs plenty of light but the light must not be too harsh. The best temperature is around 24⁰C. It must not be lower than 15⁰C or higher than 30⁰C. A high level of humidity is essential, meaning 80% during the daytime and 95% at night The growing medium must not be allowed to dry out. Moss around the base of the plant is one way of preventing this. The best kind of growing medium is a mixture of peat with another fibrous or hard material such as perlite or coir (coconut fibre). See “Plant accessories” for more information about these and other useful products. Begonia scutifolia can be pruned as required.