WHAT IS POINSETTIA?

Poinsettia is a commercially important plant well-known member of the spurge family. They are a popular holiday plant because of their colourful bract, which made them most sold plant as an ornamental at Christmas time. It is a native plant of Mexico and Central America.

They are houseplants that bloom naturally under the long night condition of winter and are particularly well known for their red and green foliage.

Poinsettia was named after Joel R. Poinsett, who introduced the plant to floriculture while he was US minister to Mexico in 1828.

 

TYPES OF POINSETTIA ON HONG KONG

There are over 100 varieties of poinsettia that grow in Hong Kong. They bloom in shades of red, pink, yellow, white, purple, green, maroon, and multicolored.

Out of the over 100 varieties, we will discuss some below:

 

·         ICE PUNCH

They are bright rosy red bracts, poinsettia with a blaze of pale pink down the middle of each bract

A traditional Christmas plant that is very easy to grow and likes to be kept on the dry side. The plant loves a cooler area but not below 50 degrees.

 

·         WINTER BLUSH

They are admired for their brightly colored large bracts with a medium pink blaze and dark green leaves. It has very good uniform branching and its tree reaching up to 4 meters tall.

 

·         CINAMON STAR

It has a unique colour it appears golden from a distance and from near, bright orange/peach coloured bracts flecked with pink and red.

 

·         JINGLE BELL POINSETTIA

A traditional Christmas plant with a plant red bright red background colour and a blaze of white along the mid vein.

It has very strong stems, good branching, and a wide V shape.

 

·         WHITESTER

It is an early to mid-season variety with very large creamy white bracts and light green leaves with very smooth bracts edges. It is one of the cleanliest white poinsettias.

 

·         PLUM PUDDING

A pink poinsettia with a red inner layer and bright green foliage. Light intensity and temperature influences bracts colour; lower light will cause the bracts to be softer pink.

 

·         PREMIUM PICASSO

A strong plant that has a good post-harvest quality. The colour of the plant is cream brushed with red with dark green foliage.

 

·         PRESTIGE RED

One of the best red traditional poinsettias, the flower bracts are often mistaken for flower petals, it has changed leaves and a very strong stem and branches.

 

·         MARS MARBLE

It is the most popular Christmas flower with creamy white bracts and a pale pink blazes down the censor of each bract.

It has a V shape habit just like Jingle bell poinsettia.