Fanny, The sticks handed out had a thickness a little larger than a pencil. I would not let the bottom become to dry. My suggestion is keep the lower part of the stick cutting wrapped in a moist towel until you can get them home.
Here are photos ( not great) from my one and only 6" stick...



At 3 wks growth buds were noticed...



5 months from the start...



Timeline was early Sept- Feb.

ScotTi said:
5 months from the start...

Hmmm thanks for that. It's quite a slow process, wonder if I get bigger cuttings..... I would have three months to get them rooted outdoors naturally before it starts getting cool.

Crotons grow very large on Sri Lanka, and everyone I asked was just too delighted to get a large panga and much to my protestation still chop me off an entire branch. I could feasibly get fat cigar sized sticks as those wouldn't take up much space. Might put them under glass after they've rooted.

The top cutting were insane as some of them have unbelievably large leaves too.

Thanks for the tips. I wonder, yes a damp cloth or something....

I will try and take pictures of all the plants I get cuttings from, as they are truly phenomenal. I definitely want to get what is often called in the West "fish bone", both the red and yellow one, my top cuttings didn't make it. Actually many many others if I can find them again.

You can root cuttings and leaves in water. Put your cuttings in a bottle with water and just change it every day, they will be just fine. The same with leaves.

Gala said:You can root cuttings and leaves in water. Put your cuttings in a bottle with water and just change it every day, they will be just fine. The same with leaves.

Good idea, thanks for that. It will start the rooting. I will put a few drops of hormone rooting powder paste in the water, seems to speed up Hibiscus a lot.

Anyone know what this croton could be. It came in the usual batch of Iceton imports. I haven't seen it before and it looks very attractive so I bought all seven they had. We don't get many new ones. Quite a large leaf, but not sure if they get bigger, they are changing shape oddly enough, getting more wings. First I thought it was an Iceton with a different leaf shape as the colours were familiar. They look like top cuttings. It took a few days to settle but I see the very new flush of leaves are yellow now then green edged then the yellow in the middle turns pink......the biggest leaves were all yellow when I planted last week. Think its adjusting to full sun. I planted some in dappled sun just in case. The one behind is a large leaf yellow not sure which one could be a Petra type, diamond shape leaf.

That is a pretty one. I find the leaves on my standard orangy one get those fiddle shapes as they mature.

Here is my annual photo of Zanzibar. This one just chugs and chugs along for me.

Thats lovely!!! I particularly like the top part in luscious emerald and ruby red, wonder if thats a mutation!? I sometimes see wild looking crotons with roundish leaves with that lovely colour mix. I had a Zanzibar but it was tiny and got lost while I tried to decide what to do with it. Think it just had too much shade.

That's gorgeous, Alice! I wonder if I could grow it outdoors in summer and in the greenhouse in winter? It probably would end up taking up too much room, but I'd love to have one.
You should put that pic in the database. I see it has a new name now.
Croton (Codiaeum variegatum 'Brilliantissima')

Done, thanks. Gosh don't those boffins have anything better to do than change names all the time???

I've had this one for many years and it is such a easy care plant, I love it. It would probably do fine in NM as long as you brought it indoors for the winter.

I agree all the name changes are a big pain. It was the same when I was involved with malacology (seashells). The names changed constantly. I may try to find one and give it a try. it could winter in the GH until it got too large.

What a beautifully plant and the picture, Alice! I have this Zenzibar croton in a hanging basket and it'seems remains small. Maybe I should repot it.

I will always refer to mine as 'Zanzibar'. 'Brilliantissima' just sounds stupid to me.
Alice, I am just blown away looking at your 'Zanzibar'. My favorite of the Crotons and it just will not grow for me. I have had my 2 plants for 6 years and they remain less than 8" tall. The first hint of cool weather and the leaves start dropping and they take forever to get going again the following season. I keep saying I am going to rip them out, but I hold on to them every time giving them another chance. I may just pot them up and see what happens as I have nothing to loose.

Thanks everyone, I seem to remember this one was a slow starter. I have potted it up 4 times now. I did haul it in the house when the hurricane blew by last fall but it stayed outside for the winter in a protected corner of my deck on a seedling heat mat. The mat raised the temp just a few degrees and that was all it needed. I have drip irrigation on the deck plants so it gets a little bit of water each day, rain or shine.

I remember having trouble with Picasso's Paintbrush, that plant always looked ugly for me yet I have seen beautiful specimens.

Here are photo's of both color varieties of 'Picasso's Paintbrush' (RIP).

Scot, if you ever decide to rip out Zanzibar, please send it to me! I'd love to give it a try. I love those pics of the 2 Picasso's Paintbrush. I never knew there were so many pretty varieties.

Karen, When I rip it out I will send it your way.
Warning here is the current photo...


and its winter season looks here...


A good stand in performer is 'Picturatum'

Thanks, Scot. I'd love to give it a try. I may fail, since you have the best climate for growing tropicals.

I was going to post the photo to the data base, but I submitted a name change for the photos under 'Punctatum' should be 'Picturatum'
'Punctatum' is a narrow green and yellow leaf Croton.

Here is 'Punctatum'/'Punctatum Aureum'





Not to be confused with the smaller leaf 'South Pacific'

I forgot to add that I had originally bought my Zanzibar (or brilliantwhatsamacallit) as a tiny Angel plant from Lowe's. It was in a little 2" pot and that was at least 10 years ago.