@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref20086,
author = {Laura Trejo},
title = {Poinsettia?s wild ancestor in the Mexican dry tropics: historical, genetic, and environmental evidence},
year = {2012},
keywords = {Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, centers of origin, domestication, niche modelling, management, conservation. },
doi = {10.3732/ajb.1200072},
url = {http://www.amjbot.org/},
pmid = {22763354},
journal = {American Journal of Botany},
volume = {99},
number = {7},
pages = {1146?1157},
abstract = {? Premise of the study: The poinsettia ( Euphorbia pulcherrima ) is the world?s most economically important potted plant, but
despite its preeminence it is not clear which wild populations are ancestral to the varieties cultivated around the world. Tradition
holds that the U.S. envoy to Mexico J. R. Poinsett collected the progenitors of the over 300 varieties in global cultivation
on an 1828 excursion to northern Guerrero State, Mexico. It is unknown whether the contemporary cultivars are descended
from plants from Guerrero or whether germplasm from other parts of poinsettia?s 2000 km long distribution entered into cultivation
during the nearly 200 yr of subsequent poinsettia horticulture.
? Methods: To identify the wild populations that likely gave rise to the cultivars and test this historical account, we sequenced
plastid and nuclear DNA regions and modeled poinsettia?s potential distribution.
? Key results: The combination of nuclear and plastid haplotypes characterizing cultivars was found only in northern Guerrero.
Distribution modeling indicated that suitable habitat conditions for wild poinsettias are present in this area, consistent with their
likely wild status.
? Conclusions: Our data pinpoint the area of northern Guerrero as the cultivated poinsettia?s probable ancestral region, congruent
with the traditional account attributing the original collections to Poinsett. Abundant genetic variation likely offers raw material
for improving the many shortcomings of cultivars, including vulnerability to cold, stem breakage, and pathogens such as
Pythium and Phytophthora . However, genetic differences between populations make conservation of all of poinsettia?s diversity
diffi cult.}
}
Trees for Study 11968
Citation title:
"Poinsettia?s wild ancestor in the Mexican dry tropics: historical, genetic, and environmental evidence".
Study name:
"Poinsettia?s wild ancestor in the Mexican dry tropics: historical, genetic, and environmental evidence".
This study is part of submission 11968
(Status: Published).
Trees