Dreer #7 ???

[Jeff Searle]

This past week, my brother was finishing up on a landscape job and noticed this croton growing in a yard a few houses down. The large red leaves caught his eyes. It's a very old neighborhood and there was also 7-8 other very interesting croton types growing there too.

I looked through the book and to me, it appears like a close match for a Dreer #7 on page 54. The leaves have a very, bright red and a semi oak leaf. No ripples along the side. It's extreamly attractive and would like to see what everyone else thinks.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Here's four more of the same plant. I would like to mention that this is a stem cutting from the plant and is about 18" tall. I also placed a 4" nursery pot in the picture for scale.

 

[Phil Stager]

Sure looks like the pic in the book -if that is reer#7 since I have a note that the pic may be Rapture instead. At any rate, nice find!

 

[Bullwinkle]

Wow,what a deep red,Thanks for sharing

 

[Jeff Searle]

Sure looks like the pic in the book -if that is reer#7 since I have a note that the pic may be Rapture instead. At any rate, nice find!

Phil,

Yesterday, I looked in one of the old Exotica Books( will re-check and list which book it was in) and found two different pictures of leaves/plants. Unfortunately, the two pictures showed two different leaf types. But, one look certainly like the plant mentioned here.


Also, regardless to what Johnny Shelton has said, I got a Rapture many years ago from HIM, and it's not this plant in the book, or my plant mentioned here.

I honestly think this is the correct Dreer #7, especially based off the old black and white photo, but I would like to still hear some feedback from others. Sooner or later, I will hopefully get Bob and Mark to look at this plant, maybe in November.

Also, I brought my "Rapture" over to the west coast last December to the Glock's Meeting, and Bob Alonzo and Mark Hooton agreed that it was the correct "Rapture".

 

[Sergey]

Jeff – congratulations!

For me it looks very much like Dreer#7. If it is so – you’ve discovered one more missing element is crotons’ history. I think it’s in safe hands not to be lost forever.

 

[junglegal]

Great find Jeff! It's very nice looking.

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

Jeff,

That's an awesome looking plant.
For comparison purposes, here's Dreer #7 in Cozumel, Mexico.

Here's my Dreer #7.

These are identical to what's labeled Dreer #7 in the book. Like you, I also think Johnny's revision is incorrect for this plant as Rapture is totally different.

That said, the plant I've posted here is somewhat different from yours.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Ray,

Refesh my memory, can you tell us where your original plant came from(Cozumel?)? And how was the name Dreer #7 put on that? Consensus of a few people? Bob A? It is a nice looking plant, I'm pretty sure it's not in my collection, and is definitely different from mine. Thanks!
Jeff

 

[Borgy230]

weren't these same exact photos posted as America about a year ago???

 

[junglegal]

Yep and I captured it in the WIkI along with Ray's comments

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

Bob Alonzo thought it might be America a few years ago when he saw it in my garden. That said, it's not America anymore. I saw the REAL America in Phil's garden recently.

Since that description failed, I've defaulted back to what the book is calling this plant, Dreer #7. For some unknown reason, this plant is scattered throughtout my neighborhood here and there and that's where I got mine. For years it was out of color but has been doing better in recent years. After the freeze, mine got really leggy so I air layered (perhaps hacked is a better word) this year to make it more bushy. I assumed because of the leaf shape that the one in Cozumel is the same plant but can't confirm this.

Rob, you're like my wife. You never forget anything.

 

[Moose]

Jeff - please do not take this the wrong way but, your photography skills are lacking. Your pictures show a very beautiful croton. Having seen this same croton yesterday morning in your mist house, your photography actualy sucks. This croton was so amazing that the colors seemed florescent. It was so vibrant that it almost looked unnatural. The other crotonheads that were in attendance would voice the same sentiments. Why else would we spend 1/2 an hour in a sauna looking at a plant.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Jeff - please do not take this the wrong way but, your photography skills are lacking. Your pictures show a very beautiful croton. Having seen this same croton yesterday morning in your mist house, your photography actualy sucks. This croton was so amazing that the colors seemed florescent. It was so vibrant that it almost looked unnatural. The other crotonheads that were in attendance would voice the same sentiments. Why else would we spend 1/2 an hour in a sauna looking at a plant.

Naaa, not taken in the wrong way, I'm a collector and grower, that's hard enough! But I see how you noticed the colors being so much more better in person, than when looking at the plant in a picture. It really is remarkable and beautiful. The large cutting(18") is still showing no signs of being removed from the parent plant.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Went and checked on this larger plant ( 18" ) in the misthouse today, and found some nice white roots poking out the bottom of the pot. Yahhhhhh !!!

 

[Moose]

Looks like this thread is getting revived because of my other thread. I am reposting my photos here also. Jeff gave me this plant as a rooted cutting in a 4" container. I bumped it up to a two gallon container using the Moose soil mix.

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

Remember that this plant has a good likelihood of being Dreer #7 but it's not been confirmed right Jeff?

 

[Jeff Searle]

Remember that this plant has a good likelihood of being Dreer #7 but it's not been confirmed right Jeff?

Confirmed by who? Bob A. ??? If I wished for some snowfall by Feb 1st, that would happen sooner than this plant being looked at by Bob. Ughh!!

 

[Moose]

The pictures I posted of "Dreer #7" shows alot of simularities to the 1st photo on page 13 of the most recent Croton Newsletter. It has been captioned as America in the Newsletter.

Interesting and as Phil says: Onward through the fog ...

 

[Moose]

Put mine in the ground finally. Thanks to Jeff, this amazing looking cultivar is now in several collector's gardens.

 

[Moose]

Put mine in the ground finally. Thanks to Jeff, this amazing looking cultivar is now in several collector's gardens.

Jeff gave me this Dreer #7 as a 4" rooted cutting. It was grown up into a 7 gallon container over time. Definitely a favorite. The lighting was right this morning so ...

 

[Jeff Searle]

Ron,
Glad to hear that this is doing so well. I also noticed that with a little pruning, it makes a very full plant.

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

That's a great looking plant. It's really turned into what's labeled Dreer #7 in the book. What did Johnny say the book's Dreer #7 was in the corrections? When all is said and done, there are more questions than answers.

 

[Kingdavid]

Dreer #7 Three different plants 3 different looks , all good tho ...Fall colors kicking in . All 3 growing in the same amount of light . but different colors David

 

[Jeff Searle]

Hi David,

Your plants look different from the other pictures. Please don't tell me you bought them from me! Lol. Where did these come from?

 

[kwtimo]

Hi David,

Your plants look different from the other pictures. Please don't tell me you bought them from me! Lol. Where did these come from?

Jeff, I was thinking that they looked like America or Ernestine Delarue, so I can understand what you are saying. They are nice looking crotons.

 

[Kingdavid]

Hi David,

Your plants look different from the other pictures. Please don't tell me you bought them from me! Lol. Where did these come from?

No i didnt get them from you LOL . But i did get them from a reliable croton dealer years ago . all 3 came with a Dreer7 tag . They sure have leaves that look the same as the Cozumele plants . Mayby not identicle colors . But the leaves sure look the same to me. all the plants i grow way up North in Central fla seem to have a little different colors than you southern boys . 110 miles north seems to change colors not quite as tropical

 

[fawnridge]

So, it's the irregular leaf margin that's the distinguishing characteristic on this variety?

 

[Moose]

I think David's plants resemble Ray's photos (post #8) in this thread.

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

Uh oh...here the history of potential names for this plant and the ultimate outcome of that name:

1. Dreer #7 - perhaps wrong - Johnny's croton errata for Dr. Brown's second book says the pictured Dreer #7 is really Rapture. Let's not begin the Big Rapture Foot that John Soared right out of Major Dade's enlarged Lord Belhaven.

2. America - wrong - I was unusually way off base here.

3. Ernestine Delarue - wrong - I thought Jose had finally nailed this one. Unfortunately, Bob Alonzo saw Judy's version of this plant and said no way was it E.D. I wonder if Cialis can cure this ED?

Until we resolve this one (and it may never happen), I'm going to call this one "Onward through the Fog" in honor of Phil's well known phrase.

 

[Moose]

#7 Dreer Rapture America De La Rue?