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Euphorbia pulcherrima |
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| | November – bract color returns |
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| Common name |
poinsettia |
| Family |
euphorbiaceae |
| Life cycle |
tender perennial/shrub (Z9-11)  |
| Flowers |
yellow, with red bracts |
| Size |
to 10' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
This holiday favorite, sold by the millions as indoor potted plants around Christmas, is a shrub in real life. Even in the Houston area it won't grow to its full potential, though, because even minor freezes kill off the top growth. Still, I decided to plant our holiday leftovers in the back yard to see how they'd do – mostly expecting to see them rapidly become rangy or stop flowering, and because I was curious how big they'd grow in the span of a growing season. I figured it might not be very big at all, if the commercial varieties are selected to stay small. But they certainly grow larger than their holiday container form, as shown in the photo at right, taken in late June, and the November photo above. The green leaves have overtaken the colorful bracts by June, but are attractive in their own right, even if they are vaguely reminiscent of poison ivy leaves. By the second half of November, the bracts are once again turning red, and the whole plant contrasts marvellously with its pale caladium neighbor. I wonder if it will live through the winter?
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| | Nice and green in June |
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| | Damaged by a mild freeze in December |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: foundation border About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Euphorbia pulcherrima
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