Summer Poinsettia

This really surprised me and took off growing in the garden. This is my first year with this plant...can anyone comment about getting seeds from them? They have those bubbled node clusters near the red tinged top, with some larger and others small. I would think the seeds must be in these rounded clusters and I took one apart just to look. Do these balls eventually dry out for harvesting or would they explode while green, like Daturas? Any suggestions? Thanks :)
Trish

I found seed on mine where the leaf nodes are all the way up and down the stalk, not just at the top. They turn fuzzy and look like something that you would pass up, but inside I found the seeds, tiny black things.

Thanks fivek. I wouldn't have known to look on the stalks! I'll keep my eyes on the whole plant and see what develops :)
Trish

Did you find them yet?? I think I might have missed out on mine. I didnt try collecting them. Mybe they will germinate on their own this spring for me. I dont know if they need cold treatment or what to germinate...that would be a good thread....

Fivekulps, I received some seedlings from Elena (yoohoo, Elena, where are you????) this spring. She assured me that if they go to seed, you'll have plants next year. Hope that helps!

Dicentra, Look at the photo in the ID forum for the Hibiscus that I was trying to ID. Is that the plant you have? I have rec'd many many seeds from mine where the flower opens and falls off. I'll go take a picture and post it. But I'm not sure where to post it. Kittie

Five...didn't find them yet but keeping any eye out.

Kittie..I looked at your photo. It is definately NOT a summer pointsettia. The summer pointsettia is about that same height but has the same pointsettia top, almost, like the Xmas poinsettias. Your photo has a very distinct and separate flower, whereas the summer pointsettia has top green leaves that are tinged with some red, with the ball nodes in the middle. (This is when I really need an uploaded image...lol). I sure hope I can get the seeds from them, too. BTW...evening primrose also puts out seed pods along the stems and leaf nodes.
Trish

Trish, there's one in the plant forum: http://davesgarden.com/plants/go/641.html

go_vols..you are the mastress of the database...besides Dave of course...lol.

Yes! I have the bottom pictured summer pointsettia, which is rather lovely in real life (aren't all flowers?). The leaves are almost oakish shaped and the tops have a bit of that classic pointsettia red on top. I'm still looking for seeds. I think I will email my trader from last year and ask her exactly how/when she harvested her seeds.
Thanks go_vols!
Trish

Hey Trish mine dont look anything like that. I was referring to the Aramanthus..summer poinsetia. I may have sent you pn a wild goose chase for seeds. Will do a search for the plant andd add it to the database. Found this in the mean time. Cool Picture, that is what mine looked like. Without the frills..LOL
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/1825/poinsetta.html

Ok I finally found the plant...I mispelled it...it is Amaranthus, placed one in the database
http://davesgarden.com/plants/go/872.html
Check out the first picture...where the leaves come out is when I found my seeds...a little fuzzy 'flower'.

This message was edited Friday, Sep 7th 8:10 PM

Dicentra, I have collected those tiny "ball" on top of the plant before, but lost them before I could try to sow them. I had them in a film canister and the outer hulls dried and came off. I thought I lost mine to shock when we moved here last year, but this summer they started popping up. (quite late). I believe I burried the seed quite deep when digging to put in my petunias. I like these better, they are more interesting. They do always come up for me on their own! Hope this helps, Julie

Thanks Julie..I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

Five...I can see how easily it is to get Amaranthus and Euphorbia mixed up. That applet picture was beautiful! I think the secret place for the seeds is in those node balls, so I.m waiting to hear from my last year's trader (and anyone else) :)
Trish

I found where the seeds are located. They're in those rounded nodes at the top of the plant...those berry-type green things. Each green berry has 3 black seeds inside when ripe. The trick is to get the berries when they are ripe, which is a pale green, so that the seeds inside are black. If you spilt the small pod unripe, you get a white milky sap oozing out and the seeds are still white inside.

Ok...a WARNING HERE~~~~~>

Of course I found out the hard way, with lots of pods starting to dry out...the seed pods EXPLODE OPEN to disperse the seed (similar to Balsam Impatiens)! I thought my kids got into my seed area but I had freshly picked seed pods drying overnight and they've sinced been dispersed all over my laundry room..yikes! So, I would advise not letting them dry out in an open paper plate, as I was doing.
Trish

Ya'll are the greatest! I went out today and discovered mine are starting to ripen - and indeed they "explode" - I brought them and plunked them on a paper towel on my table, and came back to find many of them had "popped"!!!!

Thanks to everyone's great advice, I knew just what to look for and when to look :)

Now to wait patiently for the rest of them to ripen......

Hey Go Vols. Here I am. I arrived late on this forum didn't I? Glad someone finally solved the mystery. I have never collected the seeds but they have always multiplied just fine for me. In fact almost too much. I don't believe anyone will ever be without them ever again if they let them die a natural death in the fall. LOL!

A funny thing about these seeds. I put a bunch of ready-to-pop ones in a paper sack and set it in my kitchen, then promptly forgot about them.

Yesterday afternoon I was trying to rest and kept hearing a strange noise. I knew it wasn't the kids or DH, and the cat was sleeping at the foot of the bed. Started to get a little worried, so I made inspections of the kitchen and den after two episodes of sudden "noises." When it happened a third time, I realized it was the seeds popping against the paper bag, LOL!

The good news is I should have plenty of seed to trade here in another week or so.... :)

That is very funny. I had a similar experience one time many years ago. We had gotten a beautiful, very thick branched Christmas tree that was some sort of northern pine. Some truck had apparently dropped it on the highway. We brought it home to be our second tree. After the kids and I decorated it with all sorts of home made ornaments we delighted in our second tree especially since it was so beautiful. Several nights later I kept hearing these popping noises coming from the tree and it kept getting worse as the next day went by. I imagined it was some sort of insects that were waking up in this nice warm climate and would soon be flying or walking all over the room. After a very careful inspection I was thrilled to find that it was the tiny pine cones on the tree drying out and popping open. I had never seen cones like that before. It was not a hemlock like we have here in TN in case you are wondering. I still have those pretty little cones in a basket to remind us at Christmas time of our very special tree that Christmas long ago.