Humble poinsettia has undergone a style evolution
45 varieties listed in a 1995 journal no longer exist, replaced by new favourites
I was leafing through some old commercial greenhouse publications the other day and came across a 1995 issue from the Journal for Poinsettia Professionals. It listed 45 varieties of poinsettias and provided a ton of information about their heights, bract colours and anthesis (days to flower).
As I scanned down the list of varieties, what really stood out wasn’t the growing information. It was the fact that in the span of 17 years since the issue had been published, not a single poinsettia variety available then is still available now. Why? Well, one thing is for sure: It has nothing to do with the popularity of poinsettias. They still remain the single most commonly grown pot plant in commercial greenhouses across North America.
The demise of older varieties and emergence of new has more to do with the pursuit of perfection — breeding poinsettias that consumers will love, while providing the least number of headaches for growers. Unfortunately, the road to perfection is not only elusive but, as perfection would have it, also impossible to achieve.
The problem — from the consumer side of the equation — is that we all have our own tastes and preferences. Some of us want traditional deep-red poinsettias, while others like the haute couture types with blushes of white and pink. Some like oak-leaf shaped bracts, others prefer broad, elliptical bracts. The list goes on.
From the grower’s side, most of us simply want varieties that are economically viable to grow and give us little grief during the five or so months it takes to do so. For a grower, the perfect poinsettia varieties are those that can be grown a degree or two cooler in the greenhouse, require less space, yet are still of high quality. I’m definitely seeing some of those this year.
A few of my favourites are Ice Punch, which looks like a red poinsettia touched by a thin sheet of ice and Cinnamon Star, which is remin- iscent of a white poinsettia dusted with cinnamon sprinkles. Both are spectacular, and nothing from 17 years ago can compare to them.
That said, I must admit I like many of the reds from yesteryear as much as I enjoy the reds of today. True, some were a gigantic pain to grow, but I think they’d still hold their own in the good-looks department. But colour variations and growing advancements aside, one thing’s for certain: there’s no free lunch, and growers who fail to give poinsettias the care they need will still produce a poor quality crop.
All things considered, are the poinsettia varieties grown today superior to those grown back in ’95? Well, I wouldn’t hesitate in saying yes. Breeders have spent a lot of time trying to understand our complex desires and have done a pretty great job.
Some would argue that the demise of 45 varieties in 17 years is pretty extreme. I say that, yes, that’s partly true, but think of poinsettias as you would the fashion industry. I mean, how many people today would wear articles of clothing they purchased 17 years ago? On second thought, in my case, that’s not such a good example.