Poinsettias, bright bedazzling plants which harkening the holiday season, are at once celebrated and very misunderstood. Poinsettias, what do you know?
True or false
1. The leaves are poisonous.
2. The flowers are poisonous.
3. They are native to Mexico.
Poinsettias are not toxic although over fifty percent of Americans believe otherwise. They have been studied extensively and determined to be safe. How do they test for poinsettia toxicity?
Well, researchers solicit poor college students and invite them for meals of stems, sap, leaves, flowers and roots. Then they monitor for symptoms and blood levels of toxins. In one study it was estimated that a child eating 1.5 pounds or 500-600 leaves would not have any health issue other than an upset stomach and frazzled parents.
Poinsettias are native to Mexico and members of the Euphorbia genus. Some members of this genus are toxic, and the poinsettia is guilty by association. Just how did this misconception begin? As legend goes, in 1919 an Army officer’s 2 year old child died after eating a few leaves of some plant in Hawaii. During a perp walk and line-up (I watch waay too much CSI) the poinsettia was wrongly identified as the villain.
No evidence, just the notoriously unreliable account of eyewitnesses. Did the little girl ingest these leaves or those leaves? Tried and convicted in the court of public opinion the once proud poinsettia was condemned to a life of shame.
Although scientific study determined the poinsettia to be innocent, it was too late to salvage its reputation. Thus, the myth remains passed from generation to generation.
The plant was named after Joel Robert Poinsett, a US ambassador to Mexico. In 1829 he sent plants to his home in South Carolina where they flourished. Today, California is the top producer of poinsettias in the US. Locally, Farrand Farms www.farrandfarms.com in Kansas City is one of the largest wholesale suppliers and retail sellers of poinsettias in the entire region.
Poinsettias have earned the moniker “flaming star of the night” because its ‘flowers’ or bracts are said to resemble the Star of Bethlehem. Mexican legend claims the ‘miracle of the Poinsettia.’ As the story goes, a poor child gathered weeds, his gift to the Christ child. As he presented the bouquet the weeds turned into vibrant red flowers henceforth always to be known as ‘Flores de Noche Buena’ or ‘Flowers of the Holy Night.’
Poinsettia “flowers” the dazzling reds, rich whites, pinks and other colors are actually modified leaves called ‘bracts.’ The “real flowers” are the yellow centers. Who knew? I just know they brighten my holiday and that of millions around the world. I hope they brighten yours. Happy Holidays.
Answer
1. F 2. F 3. T
Independence, MO —
