- Showing off at the road -
Poinsettia, also known by the names of beak-of-parrot (in Brazil), flower-of-christmas, or star-of-christmas is a plant originally from Mexico, where it is spontaneous. Its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima, which means "the most beautiful (pulquérrima) of euphorbia".
It is a plant widely used for decorative purposes, especially at Christmas time, due to its leaves resembling petals of red flowers.
Its leaves are rough and measure 10 to 20 cm, while the flowers themselves are the tiny yellowish-green lumps in the shape of chalice, located at the tips of adult branches.
In the northern hemisphere it blooms exactly on the winter solstice that coincides with Christmas, which would explain why this plant is not so identified with Christmas in Brazil, where in nature it blooms from June to August.
The plant was used by the Aztecs for the production of paints used in cosmetics and dyeing fabrics, in addition to using their sap in the production of medicines against fever.
The milky sap of the plant, constituted by a type of irritating latex, in contact with the skin and mucous membranes causes inflammation, pain and itching, and can also cause irritation in the eyes, tearing, swelling of the eyelids and difficulties in vision. Ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It is false, however, that it can cause death.
Florists, especially those from Scandinavia and California, were responsible for obtaining varieties more adapted to domestic decoration, either because of their size (since these plants even form branched shrubs that reach 3 m in height, especially if planted outdoor), or by the color and color pattern present in bracts. Thus, there are Poinsettias in orange, pale green, marbled, speckled, etc.
Informations by Wikipedia
- Showing off at the road -
Poinsettia, also known by the names of beak-of-parrot (in Brazil), flower-of-christmas, or star-of-christmas is a plant originally from Mexico, where it is spontaneous. Its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima, which means "the most beautiful (pulquérrima) of euphorbia".
It is a plant widely used for decorative purposes, especially at Christmas time, due to its leaves resembling petals of red flowers.
Its leaves are rough and measure 10 to 20 cm, while the flowers themselves are the tiny yellowish-green lumps in the shape of chalice, located at the tips of adult branches.
In the northern hemisphere it blooms exactly on the winter solstice that coincides with Christmas, which would explain why this plant is not so identified with Christmas in Brazil, where in nature it blooms from June to August.
The plant was used by the Aztecs for the production of paints used in cosmetics and dyeing fabrics, in addition to using their sap in the production of medicines against fever.
The milky sap of the plant, constituted by a type of irritating latex, in contact with the skin and mucous membranes causes inflammation, pain and itching, and can also cause irritation in the eyes, tearing, swelling of the eyelids and difficulties in vision. Ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It is false, however, that it can cause death.
Florists, especially those from Scandinavia and California, were responsible for obtaining varieties more adapted to domestic decoration, either because of their size (since these plants even form branched shrubs that reach 3 m in height, especially if planted outdoor), or by the color and color pattern present in bracts. Thus, there are Poinsettias in orange, pale green, marbled, speckled, etc.
Informations by Wikipedia