Why is poinsettia a christmas plant

But, you should never buy a poinsettia sat next to a set of automatic doors that open every 30 seconds because it will have been damaged by those UK winds it never had to experience in Mexico. Although it's not visible at first, it may cause the poinsettia to drop its leaves soon after being brought home. A healthy poinsettia plant will have intact bracts. If the little yellow buds between the coloured bracts — the actual flowers — still look tight then you'll know that the quality of the poinsettia plant is good.

If possible, check the soil before buying. It should be neither dripping wet nor totally dry, and if it is, it's probably not been given proper TLC so might not last in your care. Poinsettias need soil within an optimum ph range of 5. Most poinsettias don't need repotting over winter, so you can keep it in the pot you bought it in. Finally, when you've chosen and bought your poinsettia, make sure to wrap it up in paper for the journey home to protect it from draughts and temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius.

Poinsettia is a sensitive plant, so taking this extra precaution will protect it from damage that is initially invisible but can lead to premature loss of leaves after a few days. Poinsettias don't like a lot of water. Always remember that the plant's root bale should neither dry out nor be drenched. Overwatering can quickly lead to waterlogging, which in turn causes root rot and leaves you with a dead houseplant.

You should get into habit of inspecting its leaves. If they're turning yellow or falling off, you're probably not watering it right. Much like the case with orchids , many flower enthusiasts mean well but they often overwater poinsettias when they only really need a little.

You should water your poinsettia plant when the soil is noticeably dry. This could be every day in the case of a plant near a radiator in a dry room, or only every second or third day in other spots.

How to check? Carefully lift up the plant; if it feels light, it's time to water. Wild poinsettias blooming in its glory in the Masca valley in the mountain pass on Tenerife island. On reaching Charleston in , some went into his garden and others were distributed among plant connoisseurs.

One recipient was Robert Buist, a nurseryman who had recently migrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania. Buist also sent a few of the newly increased plants to Britain, where they arrived, in bloom, in November , and astonished all who beheld them. In view of these shenanigans and others, it seems odd that our botanists were so keen to name the scarlet sensation in his honour — until one realises that this Anglo-American accord was an attempt to deprive Germany of a victory.

Joel Roberts Poinsett in an engraving from by J. It emerged that an explorer quite possibly Alexander von Humboldt had come across the Mexican treasure 25 years before Poinsett and given a pressed specimento the Berlin botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow. In the manuscript catalogue of his collection, Willdenow had called it Euphorbia pulcherrima. This name was subsequently published, and so legitimised, by Johann Friedrich Klotzsch in But this simply would not do.

Not only did the Germans have a prior nomenclatural claim, they also had a better understanding of the plant. Albeit unique-looking, Poinsettia, when viewed anatomically, did, indeed, belong in the genus Euphorbia. Many plants in the Euphorbiaceae family ooze a milky sap.

Some people with latex allergies have had a skin reaction most likely to the sap after touching the leaves. For pets, the poinsettia sap may cause mild irritation or nausea. Probably best to keep pets away from the plant, especially puppies and kittens. Poinsettias are not poisonous. A study at Ohio State University showed that a pound child would have to eat more than leaves to have any harmful effect. Plus poinsettia leaves have an awful taste.

You might want to keep your pets from snacking on poinsettia leaves. Eating the leaves can cause vomiting and diarrhea. The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think of as the flowers are actually colored bracts modified leaves. Poinsettias have also been called the lobster flower and the flame-leaf flower, due to the red color. Poinsett was a botanist, physician and the first United States Ambassador to Mexico.

In Mexico the poinsettia is a perennial shrub that will grow feet tall. There are more than varieties of poinsettias available today. Poinsettias come in colors like the traditional red, white, pink, burgundy, marbled and speckled. The Legend of the Poinsettia as a Christmas Plant. How the Poinsettia Became a Symbol of the Holidays.

By Robin Sweetser. December 22, About This Blog. Tags poinsettia Christmas. What do you want to read next? Christmas Plants: Poinsettia, Poinsettia Care: How to Keep Easy Perennial Flowers for New Plants for the New Year.