A Poinsettia says the holidays like no other flower, but just what is a poinsettia?
Euphorbia pulcherrima, commonly called a poinsettia, is a tropical plant indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala. What most people think of as the flower petals on the poinsettia are actually colored leaves called bracts. Really, the flowers are the small yellow petals found in the very center of each leaf bunch. The “poinsettia” was named in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the United States in 1828. Since then, poinsettia varieties have been introduced in a wide range leaf patterns and colors from deep red, to pink, white and marbled.
Contrary to popular belief, poinsettia plants aren’t truly poisonous. Apparently, an adult would have to eat dozens of leaves to be ill. If a child eats the leaves or stems of a poinsettia plant, they may develop a mild stomachache, but severe symptoms are unlikely. Still, you might want to keep the plants out of the reach of children and away from the mouths of crazy pets.
And what do you do with the plant after the holidays? Since poinsettia won’t grow outside in Virginia, I simply add the plant to my compost pile. Some people do try and get them to rebloom the following year, but this takes a greenhouse and a lot of patience. In Oakland, CA I once saw a 10 foot poinsettia plant growing beside an old warehouse. I can imagine that one year someone simply stuck the poinsettia in the ground in January and somehow the plant thought it was happily living in Mexico.
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