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Poinsettias add color to your holiday decor

Poinsettias for the holidays

Date published: 12/1/2006

THOUGH I WATCH quietly as my wife and daughters scur- ry around turning our home into a festive sanctuary, I must admit that I enjoy the magical transformation. As a plantsman by nature, I most enjoy the old-fashioned style that utilizes plant material to celebrate this blessed holiday.

Christmas trees, holly and mistletoe may proclaim the coming of Christmas for many, but poinsettias are my favorite. There is something about the deep green foliage and scarlet red bracts that add a touch of elegance to any Christmas decor.

The botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima , which means 'very beautiful,' was given to this plant by the German botanist Wilenow. It received its common name, poinsettia, from William Prescott, a historian and horticulturist, who named it after Joel Roberts Poinsett. Poinsett, who was the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, found a beautiful shrub with large red flowers growing next to a road in Mexico in 1828. The rest is history.

The poinsettia has become one of the most recognized holiday plants in America, and the best-selling flowering potted plant in the United States. In 2004, over 61 million plants were sold.

The poinsettia is a perennial shrub in its native habitat and may grow to 10 feet or more. The colorful parts of the plant are actually modified leaves called bracts. The true flowers are the small yellow structures that are surrounded by the bracts. The poinsettia is in the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family of plants. Many plants in the spurge family exude a milky white sap when cut. Though the white sap of the poinsettia can be irritating to sensitive skin, poinsettias are not poisonous as some believe.

Research conducted for decades by universities such as Ohio State has attempted to establish poinsettias' toxicity. All parts of the plant were studied, and no adverse effects were found. Actually, an Ohio State study showed that a 50-pound child who ate 500 bracts might have a slight tummy ache. (Go figure!)

Though there are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias available, red poinsettias are preferred by 74 percent of Americans. Eight percent prefer white, and 6 percent like the pink.

GUY J. MUSSEY is an agent in Virginia Cooperative Extension's Stafford County office, 1739 Jefferson Davis Highway. His mailing address is P.O. Box 339, Stafford, Va. 22555-0339. He specializes in environmental horticulture. Contact him by phone at 540/658-8000; by fax at 540/658-8006; or by e-mail at gmussey@vt.edu.

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Date published: 12/1/2006