The rare orange-red colored Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivar ‘Harvest Orange’ shows a nonsense mutation in a flavonoid 3’-hydroxylase allele expressed in the bracts

Commercially available poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) varieties prevalently accumulate cyanidin derivatives and show intense red coloration. Orange-red bract color is less common. We investigated four cultivars displaying four different red hues with respect to selected enzymes and genes of the anthocyanin pathway, putatively determining the color hue.