The case of the Amorphophallus-squatting Begonia

By some stroke of luck, I discovered that there is a still undescribed Begonia lurking in the mountains behind my property. Belonging to section Petermannia, this plant sports dark, satiny leaves with wavy margins and decorated with a silvery stripe running the length of each leaf. My growing efforts have been dismal; they would root from cuttings (not without some difficulty) but will collapse with nary a warning, sometimes when still small, sometimes when already at flowering sizes. But the most frequent cause of their demise is when the roots are disturbed. I found this out the hard way: cuttings were naturally potted in appropriately sized containers, but when moving them to a larger pot became necessary after roots have formed, that is when tragedy often strikes. Nevertheless, to my delight, I would often find stray plants growing in various areas around the house; these are without a doubt germinated seedlings from the first plants. Since these are very precious plants, I never- I repeat, never- even considered bothering them in any way.

Weeks ago I found another of these strays growing where it should not be: a pot of a dormant Amorphophallus.

Squatting plants are a constant problem for me. Just yesterday I had to remove small plants of Amorphophallus muelleri from a hanging pot of Hoya halconesis. Some months ago some of these muelleris appeared on a pot of Stapelianthus decaryi. And I still have to deal with an Alocasia clypeolata that have sprouted from one of my pots of Caladium 'Dark Chocolate'. But going back to the Begonia, these plants may be a pain in the ass to grow, but if you raise them from the seedling stage onwards, these are actually very amenable and require only a modest amount of care. And here lies the quandary: should I evict it or should I let it stay where it is right now? The plant is already producing capsules, and I can expect more seedlings in a matter of weeks. Maybe I can try digging it out after it has dispersed its seeds? But that would go against the grain of my self-prescribed rule.

Alternatively, I can just allow it to live the rest of its life on that same pot, but that's easier said than done. Amorphophallus requires a fair amount of light, while this Begonia thrives in the shade. And that's the owner of the pot, by the way- Amorphophallus salmoneus, a species that in my experience does require quite a lot of light 😕