Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are native to central America. More than 70 million poinsettias are sold at Christmastime in the the U..S. with a value of more than $250 million.
Florida is home to 2 small native “poinsettias”, plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. Painted leaf or fire-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia cyathophora), pictured above, looks like miniature version of the poinsettia of commerce. The showy part of both of these plants is not their flowers but their bracts …
The red or pink or white part is a bract, a modified leaf. Look closely at the picture above, and you’ll be able to see the stamens, the pollen-bearing floral part protruding from a flower, above and below ….
Fiddler’s spurge or Mexican fireplant (Euphorbia heterophylla), shown below, is the other native poinsettia. Its bracts, however, are not colorful but green. Pollinators nonetheless find its flowers attractive …
Both of these native wildflowers are small, annual plants. Like commercial poinsettias, they both contain a milky sap just like their commercialized counterpart. Look for them in sunny disturbed places at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation, other natural areas, in your yard, or along roadways like Oslo Road, as shown below …
Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area 