Jamaican Poinsettia

Take a close look – that flower is actually a leaf. Discover this unique plant in the Garden Gallery inside of our ENMAX Conservatory.

A trickster plant

The reddish-pink hues of this plant aren’t actually flowers – they are modified leaves known as bracts. Bracts are commonly associated with a plant’s reproductive structure, just as flowers are, but on a Jamaican poinsettia this is called a cyathium, or false flower. Just like other poinsettias, these maintain an association with Christmas by “flowering” from Christmas to midsummer. 

 

  • Latin Name: Euphorbia punicea
  • IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (at relatively low risk of extinction)
  • Type: Spurge plant
  • Produces: Bracts and fruit
  • Habitat: Jamaica and other Caribbean islands
  • USDA Climate Zone: 10
  • Size: Up to 10 metres tall
Wood Poppy Flower

Care & Conservation

Wood Poppy

Our work in plant conservation doesn’t stop at the zoo. We work with partners to protect the Endangered wood poppy, which is only found in three known populations in southwestern Ontario.
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facts about our plants

Fun Facts about Jamaican Poinsettias

The plant contains a latex sap that can be irritating to the skin.

Jamaican poinsettia can grow as a bush or as a tree.

This plant is known as an evergreen succulent shrub.

It has a sweet nectar enjoyed by warblers and honeybees.

It has a branching structure.

Jamaican poinsettia can produce balloon-shaped fruit.

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