Temperature
65–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Polka dot begonia
Begonia maculata
Polka dot begonia wants bright indirect light and water every 5 to 10 days, once the top inch is dry. Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans. It climbs: without support its leaves stay small.
Light
Bright indirect
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
Two to three feet back from an east window. Direct sun bleaches the silver spots it is grown for.
Water
Every 5–10 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when the top inch is dry, not on a schedule.
Humidity
45% and up
Wants 65%. Struggles in dry winter air.
Difficulty
Moderate
Scores 3 of 5: Scores 3 of 5: fast and easy to propagate, but it drops leaves at the first cold draft and mildews if water sits on the foliage.
Habit
Upright
Needs a moss pole or board. Not decorative — leaves will not mature without one.
Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans
Contains soluble calcium oxalates. Reported signs include oral irritation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.
If a pet has chewed a leaf, rinse the mouth with water and call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Full detail for cats → Full detail for dogs →
What each authority says
- ASPCA — genus-level entry: Begonia spp.
- Toxic to cats and dogs · soluble calcium oxalates
- NC State Extension
- Entry exists and records no poison data.
DISPLAY — in-content responsive
Light
Bright indirect light. Two to three feet back from an east window. Direct sun bleaches the silver spots it is grown for.
Water
Every 5 to 10 days in a 6-inch pot, when the top inch is dry.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | soak and dry |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | the top inch is dry |
Soil and potting
Two parts potting soil, one part perlite, one part fine bark.
Repot roughly every 1.5 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. The individual diagnosis pages are not built yet.
- Leaf drop page not written yet
- Powdery mildew page not written yet
- Brown crispy edges page not written yet
Propagation
Stem cutting in water or soil. Roots in 14 to 28 days.
A cutting without a node will not root. It may stay green in water for months and never produce a single root, because it has no growth point.
| Preferred method | stem cutting |
|---|---|
| Medium | water, soil |
| Time to root | 14–28 days |
| Node required | Yes |
| Best season | Spring and summer |
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — Begonia spp. Checked 2026-09-11.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Begonia maculata (consulted; entry exists and records no poison data.) Checked 2026-09-11.
- Wikidata entity Q2893846 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Begonia maculata Accepted name; family Begoniaceae. Checked 2026-09-11.
- Photograph: Cliff from I now live in Arlington, VA (Outside Washington DC), USA, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY 2.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02