Identifying a Mystery Seedling: Begonia or Balsam?

Identifying a plant from a verbal description is challenging, but your seedling—single stem, opposite pointed leaves, rose-like unscented flowers in light purple and white—suggests two likely candidates.

Top Possibilities

Tuberous Begonia (Begonia × tuberhybrida): Rose-form flowers in many colors; shade-loving; grown from tubers or seed. If from a seedling, likely the fibrous-rooted annual type. Non-stop varieties are especially floriferous.

Balsam (Impatiens balsamina): Related to garden impatiens; flowers along the stem partly hidden by leaves; easy from seed; comes in similar colors.

How to Confirm

• Search online for "tuberous begonia rose form" and "balsam flower" images.
• Check seed catalogs (Veseys, Stokes, Dominion, T&T) for matching photos.
• Note growing habit: begonias prefer shade/part shade; balsam tolerates more sun.

If It's a Begonia

Tuberous types can be saved: lift tubers after frost, store cool and dry, restart indoors in early spring. Fibrous-rooted annual types won't survive winter.

Without a photo, definitive ID isn't possible, but these are the most likely matches for your description.