Mark A. Miller
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Botanical Name
EUPHORBIA pulcherrima 'Kamp Burgundy'( CORTEZ™ BURGUNDY, CORTEZ™ SERIES) PP13962
Plant Common Name
Cortez™ Burgundy Poinsettia, Poinsettia
General Description
A new color in poinsettias, Cortez™ Burgundy produces red-purple flower bracts on compact, dark-leaved, relatively late-blooming plants. This mutation of Cortez™ Red was discovered by plant breeder Katharina Zerr in Hillscheid, Germany, in 1998. Like all modern Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivars, Cortez™ Burgundy grows from a newly rooted cutting into a bushy, bloom-laden, market-ready plant in a matter of months. Height and width dimensions cited below are for first-year greenhouse-grown plants. Older plants attain much greater size. Wild poinsettias in the uplands of western Mexico are leggy deciduous shrubs that typically bloom on naked stems.
All poinsettias have upright woody stems with large, thin leaves and milky sap. As nights lengthen, showy whorls of large, colorful bracts develop at the stem tips around clusters of inconspicuous yellow flowers. Cortez™ Burgundy bears rich dark-green, oval, weakly lobed leaves and bright maroon flower bracts on well-branched 14- to 18-inch (35- to 45-cm) plants. The "blossoms" develop in late fall, a week or so later than those of other Cortez™ cultivars.
Poinsettias require full to partial sun and average to fertile well-drained soil. Purchased poinsettias can be moved to a sunny window or a frost-free garden niche after they bloom.
These tender ornamentals can be reluctant to rebloom because flowering is triggered by long nights. The best method is to site plants in natural daylight, where they will experience shortening days. Professional growers shade their plants at night starting around the autumnal equinox to ensure full bract coloration 6 to 8 weeks later.
Poinsettia is sometimes the subject of health concerns. See http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Euphopu.htm
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 10
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USDA Hardiness Zone
9 - 15
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Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Shrub
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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Height
14"-18" / 35.6cm - 45.7cm
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Width
16"-26" / 40.6cm - 66.0cm
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Bloom Time
Late Fall, Early Winter, Winter
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Native To
Mexico
Special Characteristics
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Bark Texture
Smooth
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Usage
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
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Sharp or Has Thorns
No
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Invasive
No
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Self-Sowing
No
