wild poinsettia inflorescence The wild Poinsettia Page

As the most economically important potted plant world-wide, everyone has heard of the Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima. This species grows wild in the mountains on the Pacific side of Mexico, and despite many legends, no one is quite sure from which wild populations the cultivated varieties derive. We are actively collecting material to see if recently-developed molecular methods can give the answer. This page shows images of poinsettias in the field to show how different they are from the more familiar cultivated varieties. For more information, get in touch with PhD student Laura Trejo.

Euphorbia pulcherrima belongs to the subgenus Poinsettia and is just one of several members of this mostly Mexican group. On this page, we show examples of members of subgenus poinsettia with their attractive inflorescences and remarkable array of life forms. Euphorbia pulcherrima is a scraggly tree in the wild, but other members of the subgenus are scrambling subshrubs or even small perennial herbs springing from underground tubers! Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.

Euphorbia pulcherrima


Wild poinsettia inflorescence from Chiapas
The bracts (red leaves) of the wild species are much narrower than those of the cultivated species. 
Poinsettia in its wild habitat
This image shows how poinsettia grows into a small rangy tree in the wild. This one was photographed under a large Enterolobium tree in Chiapas, Mexico.
chiapas poinsettia side view of inflorescence
This is a side view of an inflorescence from the same plant as in the above photo. The photos were taken in a canyon in southern Chiapas, near the southern extreme of the species.
 Habit of wild Poinsettia
The habit of poinsettia is shown in a closer view of the same tree as in the above image.
Poinsettia inflorescencences and Convolv.
The branches of poinsettia are often long, thin, sprawling and nearly viny. This individual was flowering with wild morning glory in southern Mexico.
 Poinsettia flowers when leafless
Poinsettias typically flower when leafless or nearly so. This tree is covered with large green leaves during the summer rainy season.

Collecting wild poinsettias in southern Oaxaca in January.



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Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
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molson@ibiologia.unam.mx

all material © 2002 Mark E Olson