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GENERAL
Origin
:
tropical
Vigour
:
normal growth
rate
Humidity
:
semi-arid, semi-
humid, very
humid
Propagation :
cuttings
Maintenance :
high
CONDITIONS
Urban climate :
vulnerable
Dessication :
vulnerable
Stagnant water :
vulnerable
Irrigation
:
medium
Salinity/ppm :
moderate (1500
ppm)
Hardiness
:
+3°C
SHAPE
Type
:
shrub
Height
:
1 m-2 m
Spread
:
1.5 m-3 m
Foliage
:
evergreen
FLOWER
Colour
:
white
Period
:
July - September
FRUIT
Type of fruit :
berry
Fruit size
:
1.2 cm
This is a medium-sized, showy, tropical shrub actually originating in the South Pacific, but now
gradually being seen in Arriyadh in intensively designed open spaces that are regularly irrigated
and thus have the level of moisture that this plant requires. Its basic attraction is the variegated
leaves, which at a distance look like flowers, and the white mottled leaves look as if they have
been snowed on. B. disticha var. ‘Roseo-picta’ has a mixture of green, white, pink and red leaves
on pink and red stems in a zigzagged fashion. The small, greenish, petal-less flowers are incons-
picuous. The shrub thrives in partial or light dappled shade. Not frost-hardy, foliage will return
after the winter. It is propagated by softwood cuttings in summer or root suckers. Pinching out
stem tips when young will promote branching growth. The plants, which spread with their root
suckers, can be invasive in a garden. It also drops its seeds frequently, which then germinate quic-
kly underneath the plant. Good for mass planting, as a useful background shrub, or as an accent
in a shrub border, it can also be clipped as a hedge or used as an edging plant. The dwarf varie-
gated form is useful as a ground cover and the pink leaves are attractive in containers. B. disticha
requires high maintenance, and, needs regular fertilising with nitrogen and potassium. Regular
trimming promotes compact, new growth, and thus a new display of colour. Shrubs require regu-
lar irrigation and consistently moist soil, since otherwise leaf drop may occur.
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Breynia disticha,
Euphorbiaceae
Snow Bush