The Seychelles begonia is the only true native species of the islands and occurs exclusively in the moist forests of Mahé and Silhouette where it is quite rare. The are some begonia species that have escaped gardens but they either have a different flower colour or are much smaller as plant and covered in hairs. Begonia seychellensis is a tall plant (we saw specimens of about 2 meters tall and has large glabrous leaves. Also the fruits are unusual as they have no wings and break open while still soft to reveal the bright red seeds.