Breynia

Genus: Breynia
Common Name: Snow bush
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Appearance: Semi-weeping bushy medium shrub with coloured foliage.
Flowers: Small insignificant flowers.
Features: Highly decorative plant in landscapes, berries attract birds.
Requirements: Well drained moist soils required. Mostly tropical and subtropical plants adaptable to various sites except strong sea breezes.

Culture: Dappled sun or part shade, responds to mulch providing moist cool soil, can be transplanted. Pruning used to control plant height. Propagate by seed or stem and root cuttings.

Pest & Disease: Beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars - use Carbaryl. Scale -use malathion or white oil.

Species & Varieties:

B. cernua -Up to 4m tall, bluish green weeping foliage, tiny green or yellow flowers and red berries.

B. disticha (syn. B. nivosa, Phyllanthus nivosus) -Graceful arching plant to 4m.

B. disticha Cv. 'Atropurpurea' -Leaves are dark purple.

B. disticha Cv. 'Roseo-picta' -To 1.8m with mottled leaves pink and red.

B. oblonga -To 4m tall, tiny green flowers, orange or red berries.

B. stipulata -To 5m tall, green flowers, red berries, slightly hardier than some others in temperate climates.

Want to Learn More?

Check out publications in the ACS Bookshop: www.acsbookshop.com

For more information on Courses on Horticulture and Plants:

In Australia: www.acs.edu.au/Courses/horti.aspx

In the UK: www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/horti.aspx

Tropical Plants Course: http://www.hortcourses.com/courses/tropical-plants-bht234-404.aspx