Poinsettia Care and Information

Helpful Hints from HOOGASIAN FLOWERS

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima, pronunciation: u-FOR-bee-a pul-CHER-ee-ma) is a Member of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) and is native to Mexico. Relatives include croton, rubber tree and castor-oil plant. Showy red, white, pink, cream or bicolored "flowers" are actually bracts, which are modified leaves below the actual flowers (cyathia). The actual flowers are small, mostly yellow with some red, clustered together along with glands and are called a cyathium (plural, cyathia). Plant is classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Flowers are not fragrant. Bracts are red, pink, white, bicolor, off-white (yellowish).

Plants are available commercially mostly late fall to winter as a Christmas plant with attempts to have it accepted at other times of the year generally not doing well. For example, consumers rated low poinsettias that did not "look like" the more traditional ones.

To order Poinsettia plants as gifts or for home/office decor: http://www.hoogasian.com/