Gerald L. Klingaman
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Botanical Name
Euphorbia pulcherrima( WINTER ROSE® SERIES)
Plant Common Name
Poinsettia, Winter Rose® Poinsettia
General Description
Cultivars in the Winter Rose® Series of poinsettias are unique for their small, curled flower bracts that form rose-like clusters. These bushy, compact cultivars were introduced by the Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California. Like all modern Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivars, Winter Rose® poinsettias develop from newly rooted cuttings into bushy, bloom-laden, market-ready plants 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, oval, slightly lobed leaves and milky sap. As nights lengthen in fall, clusters of inconspicuous yellow blooms with showy petal-like bracts develop at the stem tips. Winter Rose® poinsettias bear dense, ruffled clusters of recurved, puckered flower bracts on well-branched 12- to 16-inch (30- to 40-cm) plants. The red, pink, or cream and pink flower bracts develop in late fall and remain attractive for several weeks.
Poinsettias require full to partial sun and average to fertile well-drained soil. In the cooler parts of their hardiness range they should be grown in a sheltered site. Where tender, they make good potted plants for sunny windowsills or greenhouses.
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 six to eight weeks later.
Poinsettia is sometimes the subject of slight 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
12"-16" / 30.5cm - 40.6cm
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Width
14"-24" / 35.6cm - 61.0cm
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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
