Dr. Joan Bushwell's Chimpanzee Refuge

Friday Flower Porn: Sexiness o’ the Season

Posted by Dr. Joan Bushwell on December 22, 2006
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Jingle my bells, baby!

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Figuring out what plant this floral naughty bit belongs to should be about as difficult as knocking back a hot steaming cup of solstice glog.

Here’s the full photo of the showy bracts of the Euphorbia pulcherrima which surround small central flowers. The history and diseases of poinsettia cultivars are reviewed here. These euphorbs have ethnobotany going for them since they were used for medicinal purposes by traditional healers in Central and South America.

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Here’s one of my favorite mutant poinsettias.

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(Photos from my little Nikon CoolPix S9)

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Comments

  1. #1 natural cynic
    December 22, 2006

    Is that a mutant or the results of a virus similar to the tulip breaking potyvirus [mosaic virus]?

  2. #2 Doc Bushwell
    December 22, 2006

    Although I am not 100% certain, I believe the variegation is due to somatic mutations in the genes of the poinsettia’s (apical meristem) chromoplasts.

  3. #3 Suesquatch
    December 22, 2006

    “Although I am not 100% certain, I believe the variegation is due to somatic mutations in the genes of the poinsettia’s (apical meristem) chromoplasts.”

    I love it when you talk dirty.