For many generations , holiday decorators have been warned , " Put your poinsettias out of reach — they ’re poisonous . " As a solution , unnumberable children and batch of pet have been shoo away away from the plants and told the dangers of ingesting its shining foliage . But is it true that thepoinsettiais poisonous , or is it simply one of the most misunderstood heyday on the planet ?
The painted leaf is native to Mexico and " blooms " in late twilight in its natural habitat , which is why many call it the Christmas flower . It ’s not actually a heyday since the showy parts are not the flower , but people employ the term nonetheless . As autumn draws to a close , disingenuous musical arrangement of poinsettia plants declare the comer of the holiday time of year in the U.S. and beyond .
Before we moot the Euphorbia pulcherrima ’s perniciousness ( or miss thereof ) , let ’s retrospect the parts of the plant :
The bracts , which are typically bright red , but may be white , yellow , pinkish or multicolored , are the parts for which the poinsettia is prise . The flower portion of the poinsettia works is the cluster of small pollen - check sensationalistic buds at the center of the bract [ source : Benson ] . Among those who consider the plant poisonous , most think it is the colored bract that pose the not bad threat .
So , where did the painted leaf ’s poisonous report derive from ? By most invoice , the myth began after a claim in 1919 that a small kid ’s death was induce by having deplete the red bracts of the plant [ informant : Scitable ] . However , there is no evidence to suggest that the Euphorbia pulcherrima can induce more than a stomach ache if ingest .
Thereisevidence that clears the Christmas flower ’s tarnished reputation . A 1971 study find that high State of poinsettia plants fed to bum caused no inauspicious effects , and subsequent similar studies have corroborate those findings [ germ : Texas A&M ] . harmonize to the National Capitol Poison Center , the perniciousness of poinsettias is nothing more than a widely hold , yet false , belief made stronger each year at Christmastime [ source : National Capital Poison Center ] .
One fact that ca n’t be disputed about this fascinating flower is that it ’s an economic power plant . Poinsettias are the easily - sell plant life in North America , with the majority sell in the six calendar week leading up to Christmas [ source : University of Illinois ] .
Technically speaking , we should point out that poinsettias are n’t wholly harmless . Like other nonfood items , they should not be eat , as doing so is likely to do gastrointestinal discomfort . Also , like its cousin the rubber eraser tree diagram industrial plant , poinsettias contain a signifier of instinctive latex paint , so anyone with a latex allergy should quash handle them [ source : Colorado State University ] .
In sum-up , the poinsettia is no more toxic than any garden - variety houseplant . However , despite evidence clearly justify the works from any wrongdoing , masses will probably continue to issue poinsettia - touch admonition during the holiday season . It ’s hard to recuperate from a bad reputation — even for a plant .
