Poinsettia from Madagascar

[Jeff Searle]

Last year's trip over in Madagascar, I found this strange looking Poinsettia growing at one of the small hotel's we stayed at. It was far from the bushy types that you see sold at any nursery or big box stores. This had a very open, sprawling habit of growth to it. Just a few leaves near the ends of the branches, and then a cluster of flowers. The leaves even seem like they had a different shape to them. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever seen this before. And I agree, it's not the prettiest grown plant and would probablly never sell at a store. But, here it is.

Jeff

[Jeff Searle]

Here's the whole plant.

[Jeff Searle]

One last look.

[Josh]

Now those are different looking, the flowers look like silk flowers...

[fastfeat]

Kind of fugly there Jeff...Still, it's different ???

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I saw a lot of those in Brisbane.  Maybe Wal knows.

Jerry

[Dave-Vero]

We're seeing some flower clusters with curly bracts in the Big Boxes this year.  I guess poinsettia cuttings in the US largely come from Ecke.

[Eric in Orlando]

The bare, spidnly stems looks like the wild, unaltered form but with mutated leaves and bracts.

You used to see the wild types in landscapes around here. They would get 7-10 ft tall and have red or white bracts, usually without many leaves. Then a disease, Ithink poinsettia scab, wiped out most in the mid to late'80s. And growers nowonly grow the new compact, bushy forms.

[Jeff Searle]

Eric,

Interesting, I once heard about that many years ago.

Jeff

[Tropicalken]

California used to have many of the tall leggy types. About thirty years ago I had several along the property line that grew up at least 12 feet. Many of these were semidouble types. One that we had here was called Flaming Sphere. It looked much like your picture. All the leaves would fall off early, but the plant kept producing bracts well into the spring. Eventually it would form huge globes of bracts at the ends that would weigh down the branches. The plant was never good looking, but I liked the fact that the bracts lasted so long and it certainly was showy. Does anyone in California know a source of Flaming Sphere? I inquired at Ecke several years ago. They were aware of it, but did not grow it.

Ken

[Eric in Orlando]

Heres a photo of a 'wild"type you used to see all over. This was one of the last that I knew of in my old neighborhood. This photo was taken a few years ago. I went by there the other day and it appears this specimen has succumbed to the disease. It would have been neat if the Torch Bromeliads, Billbergia pyramidalis, underneath the Poinsettia would have flowered at the same time.

[Dave-Vero]

Jacksonville used to have the "wild" types, too.  Every year, it was sort of a game to see whether  the first freeze would wait until after the holidays.

[Jeff Searle]

(Eric in Orlando @ Dec. 28 2007,08:58)

QUOTE

Heres a photo of a 'wild"type you used to see all over. This was one of the last that I knew of in my old neighborhood. This photo was taken a few years ago. I went by there the other day and it appears this specimen has succumbed to the disease. It would have been neat if the Torch Bromeliads, Billbergia pyramidalis, underneath the Poinsettia would have flowered at the same time.

Eric,

    Thats actually a very pretty looking plant in the landscape. But, I can't tell if that plant is the same as the one I have. Mine has a twisted (not flat) looking leaf. Great,thanks.

Jeff

[Eric in Orlando]

No its not the same. The one you have has the twisted leaves, the one in my photo  doesn't. I just seemed yours has the 'wild" growth habit with the bare and lanky stems.