Facts about Poinsettias
With the Christmas season upon us I thought some facts about Poinsettias might be of interest. So here they are:
For example, did you know that the poinsettia’s main attraction is not its flowers, but its leaves? The flowers of the plant are the yellow clustered buds in the center. The colored leafy parts are actually bracts or modified leaves.
Red is the most popular color, accounting for roughly three-quarters of all sales nationwide, followed by 
white and pink. Poinsettias come in a variety of colors from red, salmon, and apricot to yellow, cream, and white. There are also unusual speckled or marbled varieties with several colors blended together. New varieties are introduced yearly with even more variation in height and colors.
Did you know that in the wild, the poinsettia can reach heights of 12 feet with leaves measuring six to eight inches across? It is actually a small tropical tree belonging to the Euphorbia plant family. Its botanical name is Euphorbia pulcherrima although in English-speaking countries it is more commonly known as the poinsettia. A native of southern Mexico, the poinsettia blooms in December and has been used in that country to decorate churches for centuries.
Here’s another bit of information. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. The United States has observed this official day since the mid-1800s. It honors the man and the plant he introduced, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, who died Dec.12, 1851.
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In the United States and perhaps elsewhere, there is a common misconception that poinsettias are toxic.
The origin of this could be found in the fact that most plants of the spurge genus are indeed toxic and also because the name of the plant seems to refer to the word poison.
This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf. While it is true that the plant is not very toxic, those sensitive to latex may suffer an allergic reaction and it is therefore not advisable to bring the plants into the home of sensitive individuals.
If eaten, poinsettias may sometimes cause diarrhea and vomiting in animals and humans.
If the sap of the Poinsettia accidentally gets into a human’s eye, it can cause temporary blindness. Even dry sap has an effect on the eye.