| Life form | Bush |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Origin | Mexico |
| Ease of cultivation | For normal growth and flowering, special care is required. |
| The size | Length of shoots in room conditions from 30 to 120 cm. |
| Growth rate | High, 30-46 cm before flowering |
| Lifespan | With the right care for many years |
| Temperature | In summer: not below 68 ° F, in winter during flowering 53,6-69,8 ° F. Before the beginning of flowering, it is good to keep plants at a low temperature (60,8 ° F) to increase the stability and color of the bracts. After flowering it would be good to provide the plant with a rest period of about two months with a temperature of 53,6-57,2 ° F. |
| Humidity | High. Spray the plants with soft, settled water. During the heating it is advisable to place the plants in a tray with wet gravel. |
| Lighting | Direct sunlight with shading at noon. In winter, during blooming, bright scattered light is required. 2 months before the expected flowering, the shade should be provided to the plant for 14 hours a day for 8 weeks. Approximately from 17 o’clock in the evening (if it has not got dark), it is necessary to cover the plant with a dark cap, which should be taken off in the morning. |
| The soil | Fertile, 3 parts of turf, 3 parts of leaf land, 1 part of peat, 1 part of sand. Good drainage is required. |
| Watering | During flowering and growth, regular watering (2 times a week and more often), the soil should not dry out. After flowering, watering is reduced to 1 time per week. After transplanting and trimming again start to water more often, in summer watering should be the most intense. |
| Fertilizer | From the middle of autumn until the end of spring, every 2 weeks, liquid fertilizer. |
| Reproduction | The apical cuttings in spring in a hothouse (covering the container with polyethylene or glass) with the bottom heating (can be put on the radiator) in a mixture of peat and perlite or earth with sand. Before rooting from the cuttings (8-10 cm in length), it is necessary to cut off the lower leaves, be sure to wash off the milky juice (it stops rooting), hold the cuttings for about 20 minutes in water, and plant the cuttings in the soil mixture. Cuttings germinate in about 3 weeks. |
| Bloom | Flowering lasts from October to March, the flowers are not noticeable, bracts large – red, pink yellow. After flowering bracts pale and fall off. |
| Transfer | Transplanted plants after pruning and rest period in the middle of summer, when new growth begins. You should be careful not to break the fragile shoots. Soil should not be compacted too much. |
| Features of care | After flowering plants in winter and summer should be cut off shoots 10 cm from the root. Next, provide the plant a period of rest for 2 months, placing it in the coolest place and limiting watering. In early summer, when the plant begins to grow, it should be transplanted. 2 months before the flowering plant to provide “short” day (the darkness for 14 hours a day).The plant does not like drafts and gas combustion products. |
| Difficulties | It can be struck by scabbards, thrips, chervets, aphids and spider mites when dry. If the leaves of the plant fall gradually and without fading, the plant lacks light or too low a temperature. If the leaves fade before falling, this is a sign of excessive watering. If before the falling leaves turn yellow and twist, it means it’s too hot. If the leaves just fade, this is a sign of a lack of moisture. The inflorescence falls off when the air is too dry. Leaves can suddenly fall from hypothermia or draft. The edges of the leaves turn yellow or brown in too dry air. If the leaves are wrinkled and dry, this may be the result of exposure to gas combustion products. If the leaves are covered with silvery spots, this may be the result of a viral infection. The plant will have to be discarded. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | Species of this genus can be harmful to animals. Milky juice is dangerous, you can not let it get on clothes and face. |
