6 Surprising Poinsettia Myths Debunked
Any found as popular equally a poinsettia is sure to take some myths surrounding it. You've probably heard that these red annual flowers are deadly to pets. As you'll soon see, poinsettias are not ever scarlet, not annuals, and certainly not deadly. But far from diminishing their mystique, exposing the truth merely enhances poinsettias' mysterious beauty.
They come in more colors than we imagine, alive longer, and brand gorgeous cut flowers are merely more virtues for this undisputed queen of Christmas plants.
Poinsettia Myth #1: Poinsettias are toxic to pets
This is 1 of the about persistent myths about poinsettias, merely it's completely based on hearsay. It started in 1920 when a child allegedly died from eating poinsettia leaves, but the story was based on anecdotal evidence, and the cause of expiry was never proven. Since then, many scientists have shown that poinsettia leaves are not poisonous for humans or pets in pocket-size amounts.
One study in the American Journal for Medical Emergencies reported that over 22,000 children who ate poinsettia leaves had almost no symptoms. In rare cases, they reported an upset breadbasket and vomiting. And that makes sense, for even though they are non harmful in small amounts, poinsettias are non an edible plant.
They vest in the same family as the rubber tree, leafy spurge, and other plants with a latex-like sap. At that place is an irritating compound in the sap that spreads through the veins of each leaf. If a pet ingests information technology, they certainly won't enjoy the gustatory modality and may experience drooling, nausea, vomiting, or in rare cases, diarrhea. Simply they would accept to eat many pounds of leaves to be harmed. While we nonetheless recommend keeping them out of reach of children and pets, poinsettias are certainly a safe plant to have in the house!
Poinsettia Myth #two: Poinsettias are annuals
Nosotros typically only enjoy poinsettias during the holidays, only they are really perennial plants. Native to United mexican states, they can grow outside year-round in USDA growing regions 9 to xi. If y'all felt inspired, you lot could go on them twelvemonth-circular as houseplants in Illinois and fifty-fifty transfer them outside during the summer. But taking care of them beyond the holidays is often a labor of love. The vibrant vivid display falls off by tardily winter, at which point they need a catamenia of dormancy. They offset growing again in June merely require special care come October, as you'll larn below, to produce the magnificent colors that we savour at Christmas.
Poinsettia Myth #3: All poinsettias are blood-red
When we think of poinsettias, we envision bushy light-green leaves with a stunning reddish crown. In fact, there are over 100 varieties of poinsettias on the market, ranging from white, cream, and apricot to salmon, pinkish, and red. Many poinsettias have speckled, flecked, or variegated leaves, often with an energizing alloy of pink, cherry, and white. Even ruddy poinsettias are not only cerise only come in various shades of cerise, rose, burgundy, and more. Sometimes yous'll find blue poinsettias—perhaps resembling the long sought after bluish rose—but these have been dyed or painted and aren't grown that way.
Poinsettia Myth #iv: The red "blooms" of the poinsettia are its flowers
The colorful parts of the poinsettia that nosotros honey are actually a type of colored leaf called a bract. In the centre of each circumvolve of bracts, you lot'll find tiny clusters of pink and yellow flowers or flower buds called cyathia. These colorful bracts aid to depict pollinators towards the tiny flowers, all part of the poinsettia'due south strategy. Instead of producing showy flowers, they transform their leaves into a bright brandish. The same colorful bracts that attract pollinators are what please us so much over the holidays.
Poinsettia Myth #5: Poinsettias must be potted, and don't make a good cut flower
This myth does seem to be based on truth, at least at first glance. If y'all've e'er simply cut a poinsettia and stuck in water, you'll notice that it quickly dies. What's happening? At the cut point, y'all'll encounter milky white sap start to bleed out. If yous 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 friction match before you place it in water. Surprisingly, even though you've singed the base of operations of the stem, the constitute tin however drinkable water and volition survive at least a calendar week or longer. I don't think anyone complained about the fact that most poinsettias are potted, but it turns out they brand great cut flowers—or bracts—as well!
Poinsettia Myth #6: Poinsettias need darkness to alter color
This ane is really truthful! Poinsettias similar a bright, sunny location when you lot take them abode for the holidays. Only if you ever try to grow one yourself, y'all'll detect that they have a dark secret. As mentioned higher up, their bright displays are not actually flowers, but colored leaves called bracts. Well-nigh three months earlier Christmas, all of these bracts are greenish. Come up Oct; the plants need complete darkness for 12-fourteen hours each day to initiate their color alter. Fifty-fifty lite through the scissure of a doorway can interrupt this mysterious transformation. After a month on this schedule, they tin return to their normal place in the house.
We never needed extra reasons to adore poinsettias, just now that the myths are settled, we can appreciate them even more. The biggest relief is that they are harmless to ingest in modest amounts. That they come in more colors than we imagine, live longer, and make gorgeous cut flowers are just more virtues for this undisputed queen of Christmas plants. If you need more ideas for home decor , bank check out our Winter Garden Guide and visit our garden centers in Carpentersville and Bloomingdale!
Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago's premier garden center and nursery.
Source: https://platthillnursery.com/surprising-poinsettia-myths-debunked/
0 Response to "6 Surprising Poinsettia Myths Debunked"
Post a Comment