Some colorful detail from my 15-year-old Poinsettia. Yes, I've kept this alive for over 15 years. Crazy? Yes, my green thumb is sometimes red. :) Photo taken with my iPhone.
The Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is native to Mexico. There are over 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia.
Posts
2 comments:
I have one too!!
Mine will be 17 in December of this year.
It is very healthy, but has only produced the red "flowers" 3 times after I first got it.
I know that you're supposed to put it in a closet (darkness) for a period, to get it to bloom, but I am so afraid of killing it, that I just cannot bring myself to do it.
The stalk on it looks like a little tree trunk, and I just love it!
Hi Lisa,
Thanks, yes, it's a small bush/tree, currently about 3 feet tall.
Actually the colored leaves are called bracts. According to Wikipedia, the colors of the bracts are created through photoperiodism, meaning that they require darkness (12 hours at a time for at least five days in a row) to change color. At the same time, the plants require abundant light during the day for the brightest color.
Post a Comment