Euphorbia subg. Poinsettia
Euphorbia subg. Poinsettia is a subgenus deriving from the genus Euphorbia, and is endemic to North America. It contains around 24 species, of which the best known is E. pulcherrima, the poinsettia.
| Euphorbia subg. Poinsettia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| E. pulcherrima (Poinsettia) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Subgenus: | Euphorbia subg. Poinsettia (Graham) House |
| Species | |
|
About 24; see text. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Poinsettia Graham | |
This species grows wild in the mountains on the Pacific slope of Mexico, and despite many legends, no one is quite sure from which wild populations the cultivated varieties derive.[1]
This taxon was first published at genus rank under the name Poinsettia by Robert Graham in 1836.[2][3] It was demoted to a section of Euphorbia as E. sect. Poinsettia by Henri Ernest Baillon in 1858, but promoted to subgenus rank by Homer Doliver House in 1924. Recent studies have confirmed its monophyly.[4]
Its many species include:
- E. pulcherrima -- (poinsettia)
- E. cyathophora -- (summer poinsettia, wild poinsettia, painted leaf poinsettia)
- E. dentata -- (green poinsettia)
- E. heterophylla -- (desert poinsettia, wild poinsettia)
- E. pinetorum -- (Everglades poinsettia)
The common name "wild poinsettia" is sometimes applied to two of these species.
References
- "The wild Poinsettia Page".
- R. Graham. Description of several new or rare plants... Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal 20(2): 412–413. 1836
- Hibbert & Buist. 1839 edition. American Flower Garden Directory. p. 191
- Park, Ki-Ryong; Jansen, Robert K. (2007). "A phylogeny of Euphorbieae subtribe Euphorbiinae". Journal of Plant Biology. 50 (6): 644–49. doi:10.1007/BF03030608. S2CID 6686756.