About Poinsettias

Poinsettia History

The poinsettia has a long history of cultivation starting with the Aztecs in Mexico. The poinsettia is called cuetlaxochitl by Native Americans and this woody shrub to treelet is native to the tropical areas of southern Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs made a reddish dye from the bracts and a medicinal preparation from the latex. It was widely cultivated in gardens.

In the 17th century, Franciscan priests began using the flower in the Fiesta of Santa Pesebre nativity procession. Since the plant flowered naturally during the Christmas season, it became readily linked with the holiday.

The poinsettia was introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. The name poinsettia is derived from his name. The botanical name for the poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Albert Ecke began growing poinsettias as a cut flower after moving to Hollywood in 1906 and starting a cut flower farm. After moving to Encinitas, CA, the Ecke family focused on field-grown poinsettia mother plants, which were shipped throughout the country via railroad box cars.

According to the University of Colorado, active breeding of the poinsettia began in the 1950s in an effort to develop cultivars that would retain their leaves and bracts for a longer period. Early breeding efforts included those of Mikkelsen of Ohio (Mikkelsen series), the Heggs of Norway (Hegg series), as well as those of the Ecke family (Eckespoint series). The Fischer family, a German breeder, has also contributed many cultivars to the poinsettia tradition. These breeding programs focused on stronger stems, leaf and bract retention, multiple branching, earlier blooming, and color variation.

Are Poinsettias Poisonous?

No, poinsettias are not poisonous!

Certainly, the leaves and bract don’t taste good and eating them might cause stomach aches and, in rare cases, vomiting. However, a review of established poison control centers’ information and published sources will document that poinsettias are not poisonous. Now that you have read this, it is up to you to correct the misconception if it is brought up by others.

There is one potential issue with poinsettias and that is the latex. Besides being messy, some people might be sensitive to latex, especially those with a latex allergy. The majority of people will not react to poinsettia latex. If you get latex on your skin, wash it off. You will want to do so anyway, as it will get messy and sticky otherwise.

In regards to cats and dogs, there is no reason to worry if they take a bite or two of a plant. Experts consider the risk of poisoning in pets to be exaggerated. However, if you have a cat or dog that likes to eat plants a lot, you may want to avoid poinsettias just to be sure.

For Growers

Thinking of Growing Tree Poinsettias

This highly specialized form of poinsettias can take much labor to produce and, thus, need a correspondingly high price to be economically viable. However, well-grown tree poinsettias are spectacular and eye-catching for consumers. Choose cultivars that have strong stems and large bracts. For large-size trees, be sure to use large pots to prevent tipping over. Tree-form poinsettias need to be handled carefully during transport.

Selecting the Best Cultivars for Small Containers

With the right production schedule, poinsettias can be grown in almost any size container, even as small as 2.5 in. pots. Needless to say, low-vigor cultivars work best. Irrigation can be difficult for miniature poinsettias as they dry out quickly and plants may need to be irrigated several times a day. Ebb-and-flow irrigation works the best. Capillary mats work well but can encourage stretch. If using capillary mats, allow plants to dry occasionally to reduce stretch. If using sub-irrigation be sure to leach frequently as EC can increase rapidly in the small substrate volumes. Apply approximately 200 ppm N, but not with every irrigation. The following schedule (courtesy of Paul Ecke Poinsettia) can be used.

Selecting the Best Cultivars for Large Containers

Large-size poinsettias are increasingly important. While any size of large pot can be used, they are typically grown in 8 to 10 in. pots, normally with 2 to 3 cuttings/pot for 8-in. pots and 3 to 4 cuttings/pot for 10-in. pots. Medium to high vigor cultivars should be used. The cuttings are stuck and pinched two to three weeks before the plants in 6 ½ in. pots. Many cultivars are quite compact these days. Some low vigor cultivars can be used if they have large bracts and an extra two weeks are added to the large size schedule.

Poinsettias in larger potted plants can also be grown without pinching for dramatically different plants. Prices will need to be higher to account for the extra cuttings required. An 8-in. pot should have 3 to 5 cuttings and a 10-in. pot 5 to 8 cuttings. Cuttings are planted two to three weeks later than plants that are pinched to get the same size.

While few growers produce their own cuttings, stock plants can also be used to produce large-size plants. Keep in mind that the goal of stock plants is to produce a large number of cuttings, but all of those shoots result in many poorly formed bract clusters and unattractive plants. When flowering stock plants be sure to vigorously prune and shape the crown and thin the shoots. Leave only a few strong shoots.

Growing Poinsettias Hanging Baskets

Baskets are versatile and can be stunning when well-grown. Baskets can be grown in the overhead space in the greenhouse. Don’t use too many baskets, however, as the poinsettias below them will suffer from too low of light. Consumers typically place the baskets on pedestals or use them as table centerpieces.

Two styles of baskets are available – with and without plants growing from the sides of the baskets. The latter make a full, dramatic plant as the basket is mostly hidden, but require more cuttings. Choose cultivars with strong stems and bracts that hang down to create the ball of color effect. Schedules will be to 6 ½ inch pinched plants as you don’t want the plants too tall. Hanging baskets with plants on the sides need to be handled carefully during transport.

Grower Resources

• University of Florida Production Guidelines and Information
  The University of Florida site has production guidelines and information on height control, post-production, growth regulators, and disorders.
• Texas A & M Production Guidelines and Information
  The Texas A & M site has a broad range of excellent production information.
• Louisiana State University Production Guidelines and Information
  Louisiana State University offers production guidelines for the Gulf South.
• University of Kentucky Production Guidelines

Breeders and Resources

• Beekenkamp
• Dűmmen Orange
• Selecta

For Homeowners

How to Choose the Right Poinsettia for You?

Plants should have foliage covering most of the stem. Avoid plants that have dropped their leaves, are wilted, or have faded, torn, or discolored bracts. This indicates the plants were not properly cared for (i.e. not watered, boxed or sleeved too long, or diseased) and the length of enjoyment of the plant will be likely be shortened.

Traditionally, the presence or absence of the true flowers or cyathia (the small, round, yellow parts located in the center of the bracts) has been the measurement of freshness. As the plant ages, the cyathia typically drop. However, many of the newer cultivars have improved cyathia retention or there are few cyathia present, which limits the use of cyathia as an indicator of age.

Since poinsettias are tropical plants, temperatures below 50°F will cause chilling injury. The “selling” establishment should sleeve or cover the plant when the plants could be exposed to temperatures below 50°F. Poinsettia plants should be kept in a warm vehicle, but not placed in the trunk. Chilling injury causes the bracts to have a blue or white discoloration and possibly result in leaf drop.

Growing Poinsettias in the Home / Reflowering Poinsettias

Poinsettias are an easy-to-care-for flowering plant that should easily last for the entire Christmas holiday season with a few basic suggestions.

Place the plants in well-lighted location. Poinsettia generally do best at the same temperatures most people keep their homes in the winter from 60 to 68°F. Cold temperatures below 55°F will damage these tropical plants.

Water when needed, which is usually when the surface of the potting soil feels dry, but the plant still feels a bit heavy when picked up. If the plants dry out too much, they will lose their lower leaves. Drying out is probably the main reason plants die early in the home.

In a good location with proper care, many homeowners report that their plants will last until spring – which may be too long for many of us!

How to Care for Your Poinsettia

Poinsettias are commonly found in North American homes during the holidays. However, these tropical plants can thrive year-round like those growing in their native Mexico and Central America. Poinsettias have come a long way from the days of Aztecs growing 10-foot ceremonial poinsettia trees and employing the showy red bracts for uses as varied as extracting red dye and formulating fever-reducing medicines. Vibrant red bracts and dark green leaves characterize the most familiar types of poinsettias, but the 150+ cultivated poinsettia varieties have leaves and bracts of many sizes, colors, and combinations.

Tips for a healthy poinsettia:

Outside of their native climate, poinsettias are primarily grown indoors. A few tips will help you keep your plant healthy year-round.

1. Place plant where it receives sun for at least six hours each day but shade during hot afternoons and evenings.
2. Avoid temperatures below 55°F and above 75°F and hot or cold drafts which may cause leaves to drop.
3. Keep soil moist, watering when the surface feels dry or the pot feels light when picked up. Discard excess water from the drainage tray so that the plant does not sit in water.
4. Once flowering is finished, fertilizing occasionally with an all-purpose fertilizer will help keep your poinsettia healthy and promote new growth throughout the year.