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National Poinsettia Day
December 12th is National Poinsettia Day. The day was named in honor of Joel Poinsett who died on this day in 1851, and after whom the plant is named. Joel was the First United States ambassador to Mexico and it was this gentleman who first introduced the bright red plant to his homeland. The traditionally red leaves against the bright green of the plant are a particular favorite in North American homes at Christmas time. Poinsettias now come in a variety of colors as well red as the traditional. Look for ones that are white, salmon pink, lilac or even with spots on the leaves. Occasionally blue and other colors are marketed too, but these are not natural hybrid colors, rather the plants are fed a colored dye to produce unique colors in the bracts (the colored leaves at the top of the plant).
From the Wikipedia entry...Euphorbia pulcherrima, commonly named poinsettia, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Mexico, and native to the Pacific coast of the United States. The shrub occurs in some parts of central and southern Mexico, and a few localities in Guatemala.[1] The name "poinsettia" is after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the US in 1828. The alternative names for the poinsettia are: Cuetlaxochitl (in Nahuatl Mexican language), Mexican flame leaf, Christmas star, Winter rose, Noche Buena, Lalupatae, Atatürk çiçeği ("Flower of Atatürk", in Turkey), Αλεξανδρινό (Alexandrian, in Greece), Pasqua and Stella di Natale (in Italy).
The plants' association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico, where legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday. The tale goes that the child was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson "blossoms" sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.[4] From the 17th century, Franciscan monks in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.[5]
Rumoured toxicity
In the United States and perhaps elsewhere, there is a common misconception that poinsettias are toxic. The origin of this could be found in the fact that most plants of the spurge genus are indeed toxic and also because the name of the plant seems to refer to the word poison. This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend[8] of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf. While it is true that the plant is not very toxic, those sensitive to latex may suffer an allergic reaction and it is therefore not advisable to bring the plants into the home of sensitive individuals.From Snopes.com's "Poinsetting It Out"...
Since that non-poinsettia death in 1919, there haven't been any real ones either. And on wonder: a 50 pound child would have to eat more than one and a quarter pounds of poinsettia bracts (about 500 to 600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses, according to the POISINDEX Information Service. (POISINDEX is the primary resource used by most poison control centers.) Further, the American Medical Association's Handbook Of Poisonous And Injurious Plants lists nothing more than occasional vomiting as a side effect of ingesting otherwise harmless poinsettia leaves. And in 1975, The Consumer Products Safety Commission cited lack of substantial evidence in its decision to deny a petition requiring warning labels for poinsettias...Thom David, marketing manager of The Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California, has a way of convincing people (that poinsettias aren't poisonous). He's been known to grab a few bracts off the nearest poinsettia plant and eat them in front of persistent disbelievers. Seems to work, too - they don't doubt him after that.
Speaking from "bitter" experience, he says it's unlikely a kid or an animal will eat more than one bite. He describes the taste as far worse than the most bitter radicchio. Frankly, he says, the flavor is indescribably awful.
Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you're celebrating!
MY CHRISTMAS INTERNET RADIO STATIONS
OlderMusicGeek Radio - Christmas Edition
OlderMusicGeek Radio - Christmas Rock and Punk Edition
OlderMusicGeek's Christmas QuickMix
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