Flame of Jamaica

Flame of Jamaica
Euphorbia punicea
(yoo-FOR-bee-uh) (pun-IK-ee-uh)
Synonyms: Jamaican Poinsettia

This shrub was certainly lighting up the south Florida landscape. The beautiful red bracts looked good against the clear blue sky. Native to the islands of Jamaica and Cuba this semi-shrubby tree can grow in poor soil with a minimum of water. It doesn’t take much pruning and can bloom year round. It was my first run in with this plant and it was totally captivating. There are some variations of the bract (modified leaves) color and the can range from orange to deep red. This plant is unusual in the United States and I can’t figure out why since it is low maintenance and showy.


Since it is Sunday here is a bonus plant.


Ceylon Ironwood
Mesua ferrea
Synonyms: Indian Rose Chestnut, Cobra's Saffron, Nagkeshar

This is another tree that I wasn’t familiar with. It looked nice with the red new growth but didn’t have any flowers. Typical of the botanical world it had a lot of history and medicinal purposes that you wouldn’t know by just looking at it. The tree is considered sacred in Indian culture and the flowers and aromatic bark are used in the fragrance industry. The flower oil can also have anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antibacterial properties. It is native to tropical Sri Lanka where it is considered the national tree with its cultivation reaching back as far as the 8th century AD.

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Today’s Flowers .