Poinsettia Cultivar Trial Results From 2009 and 2010 At Virginia State University

In 2009 and 2010, poinsettia cultivars supplied by Dummen, Paul Ecke Ranch and Syngenta were trialed at Virginia State University. Open houses held each year featured a high quality plant on display of each cultivar trialed. Attendees were asked to fill out a written survey, and over 100 were completed at each year’s event. Certain cultivars from all three suppliers scored highly in 2009, and some from Ecke and Syngenta scored highly in 2010. ‘Classic Red’, ‘Ice Punch’, and the pre-introduction 39-02 were favorites in both years, and ‘Prestige Red’, ‘Orion Red’, 1230 and 7674 were favorite reds in one year. The novelty types ‘Premium Dark Crystal’ and ‘Cortez Burgundy’ were also favorites in one year. Most of the high scoring novelty types, such as ‘Ice Punch’, contain a mix of red and contrasting, lighter shades of color in their bracts.