The facts:
• Poinsettia has always been valued for "blooming" (actually, it's the petal-like leaves – called bracts – that turn colour) during the shortest days of the year.
• "Cuetlaxochitl" was what the ancient Aztecs called this native of Mexico. From its red leaves they extracted a purple-red dye and used the milky sap from the stems as a treatment for fever.
• The name "poinsettia" is derived from the name of the man who popularized the
plant in North America – Joel R. Poinsett, the first American ambassador to Mexico in the late 1820s.
• A large shrub in the tropics, the poinsettia has become the favourite potted flowering plant in the United States. The compact hybrids range from burgundy through red, orange, coral, pink and white to pale green.
The folklore:
One traditional Mexican Christmas story goes like this: Wanting to bring a gift to her village festival to honour Baby Jesus, a poor peasant girl shed many tears because she had nothing to give. Instead, she gathered weeds by the roadside as she walked to church for mass on Christmas Eve. Miraculously, her humble offering transformed into a bouquet of beautiful red flowers and were known as flores de noche buena (flowers of the holy night) ever after.
The fable:
You'll still hear that poinsettias are poisonious, but actually they're not. A 1971 study at Ohio State University proved that all parts of the plant are nontoxic. After eating several poinsettia leaves on TV to prove this point, however, I can tell you that they are extremely fibrous. They will cause stomachaches in pets and small children, so keep the plants out of their reach.
Page 1 of 2 -- On page 2, Frankie suggests some other flowering plants to decorate your home this holiday.
