Here's another intriguing weed of an abandoned plot in Tripoli. It looks very much to me like a poinsetta though they aren't found wild here - at least they aren't mentioned in my Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean book by David Burnie.
Poinsettas ar members of the Euphorbia family and the flower has some resemblance to Euphorbia rigida wih three part ovaries hanging down but I,m pretty sure that this isn't E rigida.
Got it - I think - thank you wikipedia - Euphorbia heterphylla - the Mexican fireplant - the desert poinsettia (certainly in the right place here then) or the wild poinsettia. It must be a garden escape here I think. It's a ruderal - that is an early colonizer of disturbed ground so that would fit in with where I found it. I grow and like several ruderals in Tipperty, nost notably Butterfly bushes and poppies - and they are reknown for being tough and for having easily germinated and great abundance of seeds with a low nutritional requirement for their seedlings - everything the novice garder needs to ease their way into seed growing.
Poinsetta are very common as a hedge in Tenerife but I have yet to see a plant here in Libya. When you look at the history of the poinsettia it is a very interesting story - see Wikipedia for an outline of it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_pulcherrima - basically one family - the Ecke family of California - dominated the trade in the US (and still do - 50% of the worldwide market even though they no longer grow any themselves) because they discovered a propagation technique and wouldn't pass it on.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/11/19/news/top_stories/16_57_3111_17_07.txt
http://www.pauleckepoinsettias.com/html/per_story4.html
Even more interesting is how they got the US to associate the Poinsettia with Xmas by TV product placement in the 60s and 70s. The plant is native to west coast US and has been associated with Xmas in Mexico for centuries (so I read and probably believe... not certain) but to move it mainstream and to make it essential - and they are still giving out 6000 plants a year in product placement is genius. It even has it's own national day in the US by act of congress!!.
Personally I have almost no emotional connection with poinsettias - I just don't associate them with Xmas except for seeing the ones that my Grandma always to seem to get each year for Xmas (in the 70's) sit on top of the B/W TV and quickly dry out and drop it's leaves. Sad and forlorn they looked and that almost put me off potted plants and house plants as the plastic stems left behind looked so miserable and such a aste of money. Of course I discovered cacti who love being under watered and being inside on window sills and that saved my interest. But if you want to win my favour around Xmas don't give a poinsettia, I dinnae like them - or rather I didnae like them - now I know more anout them it might be interesting to give them another try.
I'm going to ponder on this business model and see if I can't apply it ourselves - gain a technical monopoly and then use product placement, and then franchise the business. Just got to get the right plant... the blue rose?
