6 Surprising Poinsettia Myths Debunked
Any plant as popular as a poinsettia is sure to take some myths surrounding it. You've probably heard that these red annual flowers are mortiferous to pets. As you lot'll before long encounter, poinsettias are not always ruby, not annuals, and certainly not deadly. But far from diminishing their mystique, exposing the truth just enhances poinsettias' mysterious beauty.
They come up in more colors than nosotros imagine, live longer, and make gorgeous cut flowers are just more than virtues for this undisputed queen of Christmas plants.
Poinsettia Myth #1: Poinsettias are toxic to pets
This is i of the about persistent myths well-nigh poinsettias, simply it'southward completely based on hearsay. Information technology started in 1920 when a child allegedly died from eating poinsettia leaves, but the story was based on anecdotal evidence, and the cause of death was never proven. Since then, many scientists have shown that poinsettia leaves are not poisonous for humans or pets in small-scale amounts.
1 study in the American Journal for Medical Emergencies reported that over 22,000 children who ate poinsettia leaves had about no symptoms. In rare cases, they reported an upset stomach and vomiting. And that makes sense, for even though they are non harmful in pocket-size amounts, poinsettias are not an edible plant.
They belong in the same family as the rubber tree, leafy spurge, and other plants with a latex-similar sap. There is an irritating chemical compound in the sap that spreads through the veins of each leafage. If a pet ingests it, they certainly won't savour the taste and may experience drooling, nausea, vomiting, or in rare cases, diarrhea. But they would have to eat many pounds of leaves to be harmed. While nosotros all the same recommend keeping them out of achieve of children and pets, poinsettias are certainly a condom plant to have in the house!
Poinsettia Myth #2: Poinsettias are annuals
We typically merely enjoy poinsettias during the holidays, just they are actually perennial plants. Native to Mexico, they tin can grow outside yr-round in USDA growing regions 9 to 11. If you felt inspired, you lot could keep them year-circular every bit houseplants in Illinois and even transfer them outside during the summer. Merely taking care of them beyond the holidays is ofttimes a labor of love. The vibrant bright display falls off by late winter, at which point they need a menstruum of dormancy. They start growing once again in June but require special care come October, every bit yous'll acquire below, to produce the magnificent colors that we bask at Christmas.
Poinsettia Myth #3: All poinsettias are red
When we recall of poinsettias, we envision bushy green leaves with a stunning red crown. In fact, there are over 100 varieties of poinsettias on the marketplace, ranging from white, cream, and apricot to salmon, pink, and red. Many poinsettias have speckled, flecked, or variegated leaves, frequently with an energizing blend of pink, red, and white. Even ruby-red poinsettias are not merely red but come in various shades of cherry, rose, burgundy, and more. Sometimes you'll find blue poinsettias—perhaps resembling the long sought subsequently blue rose—but these accept been dyed or painted and aren't grown that style.
Poinsettia Myth #4: The ruddy "blooms" of the poinsettia are its flowers
The colorful parts of the poinsettia that we dear are really a type of colored foliage chosen a bract. In the heart of each circle of bracts, you'll find tiny clusters of pink and yellow flowers or flower buds chosen cyathia. These colorful bracts assistance to draw pollinators towards the tiny flowers, all role of the poinsettia's strategy. Instead of producing showy flowers, they transform their leaves into a vivid display. The same colorful bracts that concenter pollinators are what please us so much over the holidays.
Poinsettia Myth #5: Poinsettias must be potted, and don't make a good cutting flower
This myth does seem to be based on truth, at least at commencement glance. If you've ever simply cut a poinsettia and stuck in water, yous'll find that it speedily dies. What'south happening? At the cut point, you lot'll see milky white sap start to drain out. If you don't seal the wound, all of the sap runs out, and the poinsettia fades. The play tricks is to singe the incision over a candle or match before you place information technology in h2o. Surprisingly, even though you've singed the base of operations of the stalk, the institute can yet drink water and will survive at least a week or longer. I don't think anyone complained about the fact that nearly poinsettias are potted, simply it turns out they brand groovy cut flowers—or bracts—as well!
Poinsettia Myth #6: Poinsettias need darkness to modify colour
This i is really true! Poinsettias similar a bright, sunny location when y'all accept them home for the holidays. Just if you always try to grow ane yourself, you'll notice that they have a dark secret. As mentioned above, their vivid displays are not actually flowers, simply colored leaves called bracts. About 3 months earlier Christmas, all of these bracts are dark-green. Come October; the plants need complete darkness for 12-xiv hours each twenty-four hours to initiate their colour change. Fifty-fifty light through the fissure of a doorway tin interrupt this mysterious transformation. After a month on this schedule, they can render to their normal place in the house.
We never needed extra reasons to admire poinsettias, but now that the myths are settled, we tin capeesh them fifty-fifty more. The biggest relief is that they are harmless to ingest in minor amounts. That they come up in more colors than we imagine, live longer, and brand gorgeous cut flowers are just more virtues for this undisputed queen of Christmas plants. If y'all need more ideas for decoración de tu casa, , check out our Guía de Jardines de Invierno and visit our centros de jardinería in Carpentersville and Bloomingdale!
Platt Hill Nursery es el principal centro de jardinería y vivero de Chicago.
Source: https://platthillnursery.com/es/surprising-poinsettia-myths-debunked/
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