Poinsettia Plants

Poinsettia plants are small shrubs which have colorful leaves that comes in a variety of colors. Poinsettia belong to the Euphorbiaceae family and it is native to Mexico. It is a sub tropical plant and it reaches a height of about 10 to 12 inches. The colored portion of the plant are the leaves which are called bracts while the flowers are small yellow buds that are nearly inconspicuous.

There is a relationship between poinsettia plants and cats. The sap of the plant which is thick and milky white can irritate the throat, mouth and stomach of a cat when ingested in large quantities.

Poinsettia Plant History

The poinsettia plant is native to Central America, where the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon. The Aztecs had named this beautiful vibrant red plant cuetlaxochitl which bloomed for a few days in the winter. They used the bracts for extracting a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap from the poinsettia plant was used to treat fevers.

The poinsettia plant was introduced in United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett. When he was appointed as the first United States ambassador to Mexico by president Madison, he saw some beautiful blooms while visiting the Taxco area in 1828. He was greatly fascinated by the vivid red color of these plant and immediately send some of the plants to his friends and botanical gardens in America. The poinsettia plant grew in popularity and is used mostly for decorative purpose during Christmas.

Poinsettia Plant Facts

• Poinsettias are perennial flowering shrubs and they can grow up to ten feet.
• Poinsettia Day is celebrated on 12th of December in honor of the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett on December 12th 1851.
• Poinsettia plants grow best in a tropical climate and it cannot withstand frost.
• Poinsettias are greatly prized during Christmas for its bright red leaves and 85 percent of the sales of potted plants are of poinsettias.
• The highest cultivation of poinsettias is in the United States and California is the top poinsettia producing state.
• The poinsettia plant is prized for its bright red leaves and the flowers are very tiny yellow buds that are present in the center.
• Poinsettia have also been called the flame leaf flower and the lobster flower.
• The Aztecs used to extract the dye from poinsettia leaves.
• The price of a poinsettia plant is directly proportional to the number of blooms that the plant has. More the number of blooms, more expensive is the plant.
• There are over a hundred varieties of poinsettias available out of which red poinsettias are the most popular.
• Over 65 million poinsettias are sold in United States in a year and the bulk of the sales being in the month of December.
• Poinsettias comes in a wide variety of colors like red, white, pink, salmon, yellow, cream and apricot. There are also an unusual marbled variety available where several colors are blended together.
• Poinsettia Bowl is the name given to a NCCA bowl game in San Diego.

Poinsettia Plant Care

Poinsettias require a lot of care if you want them to last even after Christmas is over. When you first purchase a poinsettia, place it near the window so that it can get maximum amount of sunlight. To ensure that poinsettias bloom for a longer time keep the plant away from cold drafts as this will make the leaves wilt. Water the plant once a day but avoid over watering. Ensure that there is a proper channel for the water to drain out. If the poinsettia plant sits out too long in the water, the plant will rot and the bracts will wilt. Poinsettias grows well in humid climate so you need not keep them in a dry place. There are certain things that you should remember when you purchase a poinsettia plant. Choose a plant which has yellow, tightly clustered buds in the center and whose leaves are a vivid color without any sign of damage. When you notice that the bracts are beginning to lose their color, cut the stems so that they are not more than eight inches above soil line. This is how you take care of poinsettia plant.

Is poinsettia plant poisonous? The answer is no, it is not. It is just a myth, although the sap from the plant can be an irritant and cause inflammation of skin. Take proper care of poinsettia plants and you will be able to enjoy them for a longer time.