Strawberry Begonia, also called "Mother of Thousands" because of its prolific spread by red strawberry-like runners, is an evergreen stoloniferous flowering perennial with heart-shaped green leaves with distinctive white veins above and attractive red beneath. The plant forms a spreading, low mat propagated by the division of plantlets from thread-like runners. Strawberry Begonia is a native of Eastern Asia, Western China, and Japan and is often found on shady cliffs and mossy rocks at low altitudes. The plant's spread and ornamental value as well as it's tolerance for heavy clay soil make it a good candidate for use as a ground cover. The genus name comes from the Latin words saxum meaning rock and frangere meaning to break in reference to the plant growing in the fissures of rocks and, over time, breaking away the rock. The species name means "having stolons". Strawberry Begonia grows best in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. However, it does tolerate heavy clay soils. If grown outdoors, it should be in a shady area. If grown indoors, plants should be sited in bright indirect light, although some direct sun (if not intense) will promote reddish leaf colors. The plant is easily propagated by rooting plantlets directly in soil. It is cold hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 9; however, you should site it in a protected location and provide plenty winter mulch if growing in Zone 6. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 6 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded; Spreading
Foliage
Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Gray/Silver; Green; Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Colorful, 2 to 4 inch, round to heart-shaped gray-green leaves with silvery gray veins on 8 inch stalks. It has sparse hair. The underside is purplish-maroon. Plants spread somewhat rapidly by thin, thread-like stolons to 24 inches wide.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Irregular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
One inch wispy flowers with five petals blossom in late Spring to early Summer. Flower stems rise to 18 inches high bearing loose, airy panicles of asymmetrical white flowers, each flower having two large lower petals and 3-4 smaller upper petals.
Bloom time
Spring
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central and Southern China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan
Distribution
Naturalized to temperate regions of Europe and North America.