Begonia maculata (Begonia) x Platycerium coronarium (Staghorn Fern)
Begonia maculata, common name polka dot begonia, is a species in the genus Begonia and belongs to the family Begoniaceae. Native to the tropical forests of Brazil, it is a splashy showstopper with its olive green leaves and contrasting spots. The evergreen subshrubs reach heights of 45 to 60 centimetres. The plants usually grow to a width of 60 centimetres to 1 metre. Begonia maculata produces clusters of light purplish pink flowers from April to July. The plants are hermaphrodite.
Platycerium coronarium, common name staghorn or elkhorn fern due to its uniquely shaped fronds, is an epiphytic species in the genus Platycerium within the polyfond family, Polypodiaceae is native to the tropical and temperate parts of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Guinea. It produces two kinds of leaves: broad and upright, growing together to form a crown-like basket to trap leaf detritus from the host tree; and spore-bearing leaves that are narrow, pendulous, dichotomously lobed and can grow up to 4.6 metres in length. They are found settled on upper branches of mature trees in mangroves, lowland rainforest and roadsides. In traditional Malay medicine, the ashes are used as a rub to treat enlarged spleens.
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Specifications:
Paper
100% Cotton based, 320g, Acid-free, No optical brighteners.
Printed Area
A3, 297mm x 420mm – Approximately 207mm x 342mm
About the Collection
The Garden of Miss Joaquim Collection: Illustrated Botanical Prints
Agnes Joaquim was a Singapore-born Armenian who created what would become Singapore’s National Flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim (scientific name: Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim), in 1893. The artificial hybrid was recognised by the first director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, botanist Henry Ridley.
Agnes, the first woman in the world to create a hybrid orchid, was a well-known and successful horticulturist, garnering 70 horticultural awards from 1881 to 1899. The Garden of Miss Joaquim Collection of botanical prints commemorates her horticultural legacy and complements her story told in the book Agnes and Her Amazing Orchid.
In presenting Agnes’s award-winning plants in the illustrated collection, we looked at the newspaper records of the times, but they were of no use because they used common name descriptions of the plants, such as ‘rose’ and ‘durian’. So we turned to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and collaborated with a botanist to identify the likely species. To complete Agnes’s story, the collection includes two additional images: of Vanda Miss Joaquim’s parents, Papilionanthe teres (pod parent) and Papilionanthe hookeriana (pollen parent) — formerly in the genus Vanda — both of which may have been present in her award-winning floral bouquets or cut flowers. Waiwai Hove, a talented and respected botanical illustrator, was chosen to produce the prints.
*Disclaimer: Representative only based on subject. Not species definitive.
About the Illustrator
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Waiwai Hove developed a love for nature from a young age. Growing up surrounded by rich tropical flora and nurtured by her mother, a keen gardener, Waiwai has always held a special place for plants in her childhood memories. She holds a diploma in botanical illustration from the Society of Botanical Artists (UK), graduating in 2013 with a distinction and the highest marks in the history of the course.
She has since worked for the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where highlights include illustrations for ‘30 Heritage Trees’ and more recently ‘15 Gingers’. Four of Waiwai’s ginger paintings were subsequently used for a series of stamps issued by Singapore Post in 2018. Since 2019, Waiwai has begun working on the cover illustrations of 14 volumes of The Flora of Singapore, to be published over the next few years. Her works are in numerous private collections and can also be found in publications by the National Parks Board and in the Shirley Sherwood Collection in Kew Gardens, UK.