Ploidy and karyotype analysis of two <i>Begonia</i> species

Begonia cucullata (Begoniaceae) is an ornamental plant used in gardening and landscaping that is capable of flowering in four seasons and possesses strong resistance to abiotic stresses, giving it considerable commercial value. Research on B. cucullata currently focuses mainly on cultivation-related physiology, while less attention is paid to ploidy and karyotype identification. In this study, one important wild Begonia species, and five horticultural varieties of B. cucullata were used as experimental materials for karyotype analysis. The results indicate that the ploidy of wild species is 2n=34, while the variety ‘Big Series’ is a tetraploid (2n=68). These findings are of considerable importance for breeding varieties of Begonia with excellent horticultural traits.