Poinsettias are not Poisonous

Did you suddenly feel the need to gnaw on a poinsettia? Unusual but the odd pet or child will give the poinsettia plant a nibble. Luckily, the urban legend is untrue. Poinsettias are not a poisonous plant.

Spurges, the plant family poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) belong to, do contain some highly toxic plants. The poinsettia itself is not toxic. There were cases where poinsettias were thought to have poisoned children but it was later proved to be something else over looked at the time.

The POISINDEX says a 50 pound child would have to eat over 500 poinsettia leaves to be in any danger of being poisoned by enough toxins in the poinsettia plant. Only a garden centre might have that may poinsettias in one room at one time. But I'm pretty sure eating the first few poinsettia leaves would be enough to make anyone re-think the plan of eating more.

The poinsettia does not taste nice (very unpleasant from opinions I have read) and eating the leaves can bring on nausea and vomiting. Most children, animals and people in general will not continue eating the poinsettia plant after the first taste of it.

There are no documented cases of death from poinsettia ingestion.

However, the sap from the poinsettia can cause skin irritation (just as it irritates the gastrointestinal tract when eaten). Use soap and water to wash the skin. Avoid rubbing or touching your eyes if you have gotten the poinsettia sap on your hands.

Where did the Urban Legend Start?

In 1919, the two year old daughter of a US Army officer died. People attributed the death to the little girl having eating poinsettia leaves. No real proof was found when this was investigated later.

There was never any real proof that the girl had died as a result of the poinsettia leaves. Likely she had eaten them at some point, become sick and then died hours later from some other cause. Death by poinsettia was ruled out through research into poinsettias years afterwards.

Poinsettia History

Poinsettias are native to Central America and Mexico.

The plant was named after an American ambassador to Mexico, Joel Robert Poinsett. In 1829 he sent some poinsettias home to his greenhouses in South Carolina. They grew very well there and became popular.

Paul Ecke created the grafting technique which made it easier to grow and market poinsettias. His son, Paul Ecke Jr., heavily promoted the poinsettia as the Christmas flower. Paul Jr. shipped poinsettias to TV and movie stars and appeared on TV himself, promoting the poinsettia, grown by his family.

In the 1990's a university researcher discovered the same grafting technique used by the Ecke family and ended their monopoly, bringing in competition from nurseries all over the US. The Ecke family still deal in plants but they no longer produce poinsettia plants in the US. But, no fear, there are endless other places which do and it is not likely you will ever be unable to find a poinsettia in a shopping mall, grocery store, garden centre or even the odd dollar store, near you.

Why the Poinsettias are a Christmas Flower

According to Mexican legend (starting sometime in the 16th century), the poinsettia was a Christmas miracle.

Mexico had their own Little Drummer Boy who had nothing to offer the new baby Jesus at his birthday. The poor child gathered weeds and created a boquet with them. Some say his sadness caused poinsettias to bloom at his feet and that was the bouquet he gathered. Either way, when he visited the altar for the baby Jesus, the weeds transformed into (or were already) beautiful red blooming poinsettias.

Mexicans also know the poinsettia as Flores de Noche Buena (Flowers of the Holy Night).

Thus, poinsettias are the Christmas flower.

Poisonous Poinsettias are an Urban Legend

• Myth Busted: Poinsettias Are Poisonous - Urban Legends

• Poinsettia plants are poison to children and pets - Fiction!

• Snopes.com: Poisonous Poinsettias

• Poinsettia - Wikipedia

Here in Canada and the US people plant flowers still, but the cemeteries don't like it any more. The groundskeepers want to keep it simple and no work. So people take artificial flowers instead. Plastic flowers last better in the rain but tend to blow away and then don't look nice for long. The silk flowers don't handle the weather very well and soon look pretty ragged.

Cut flowers are allowed. But cemeteries will not be responsible for anything like a vase, which the flowers come with. The simplest thing is cut flowers without any accessories. These will not need to be picked up and disposed of as they can usually be cut along with the grass and disposed of along with the grass clippings.

I've gone to the cemetery and collected artificial flowers which had blown away and still looked nice. I brought them back and put them on my kitchen table, in a vase. Some people would think that's in poor taste. But, the groundskeepers will collect the flowers too. Then he or she will throw them all away. I just see my gathering of the flowers as recycling.

Flowers for a Funeral

Typical flowers sent or given at funerals are:

• lilies
• carnations
• gladiolas
• chrysanthemums

Other flowers which work well and last as cut flowers are good choices:

• daisies
• iris
• tulips
• zinnias
• cosmos
• daylilies
• sunflowers
• marigolds

Picking Colours

White flowers are traditional mourning flowers in many countries. My older relatives all disliked white lilies because, for them, they were the flowers of funerals. So, you might not want to go with the traditional colour (or the traditional flower) in every case.

White carnations are pretty traditional too. They have the advantage of being durable, able to last well as a cut flower. Some will also smell nice. But, I've found most of the carnations sold in stores no longer have the cinnamon smell, as I remember it.

Red flowers are meant to show passion, even in death. You would pick red flowers for a husband or wife, or someone else you've been intimate with and don't mind having it known by all.

Purple was a royal colour and a mourning colour as well. In Spring, purple tulips would be suitable for just about anyone, men or women.

Conditioning Cut Flowers

Cut all stems at an angle. This helps them to get water up the stem while they are in the vase/ arrangement. Use sharp scissors or a knife so the cut is clean and you cut it without pinching the end closed. If possible, cut the stem under water.

Remove any foliage (leaves) which touches the water or lies below the waterline. Anything in the water will encourage algae and bacteria which will stink and cause the foliage to rot as well.

Florists will often provide cut flower water additives in a package with the flowers. If you are doing your own arrangement you can create the formula yourself. For every quart of water, add two aspirins, a teaspoon of sugar, and a few drops of bleach.

Check the water often - make sure the flower stems are covered. Change the water about every 5 days. You will probably need to trim your flowers too. Deadhead them and cut more off the stems - anything beginning to rot needs to be cut off.

Keep your flowers out of direct sunlight and avoid heat or cold from any other source. Heat will cause them to wilt sooner.

The best time to cut the flowers in your own garden is the early morning.

Some people add a copper penny to the bottom of the vase but there is so little copper in pennies now, I doubt this advice has the same value. The Canadian Mint stopped making pennies this year even.

Paper flowers are more than rolled up newspaper or cut up bits of paper stuck together. There is a trick to getting the right look and shape to form flowers. But, you can use a variety of paper from tissue paper, crepe paper, newspapers to toilet paper even. You can also use paper quilling and origami as techniques in making your flowers.

Toilet paper was made into flowers and used to decorate the car the bride and groom would drive away in at weddings. Now people use tissue paper or fancier paper stock to create the "Just Married" sign and decorate the car. When I made flowers for my brother's "Just Married" sign I used plastic to form the flowers. I guess that's great for weddings which get rained on. But, it wasn't as nice as the old paper flowers we used to make.

Don't forget origami when it comes to making paper flowers. Give yourself some time to practice with different paper folding ideas. Don't expect every flower to work out your first time around. It takes some practice to work out the bugs, especially for the complicated looking flowers. One nice way to get started by making pinwheel flowers.

For pinwheels you need a square of paper and then you cut four times from the corners to the inside. Leave the centre uncut. Take one corner at each cut corner and pull it into the centre. Pin each of the corners to the centre with one pin and fasten them there. Now you need a stick for it to spin from.

Quilling is also known as filigree. I haven't tried paper quilling. But, I know you roll, shape and glue paper together to create flowers and other art.

Consider recycling gift wrapping paper as paper flowers. Magazines, with their glossy pages, make good flowers too.

I often see yards and yards of ribbon at the thrift store. Someone needs to find a use for all of that ribbon. Flowers would be a great way to repurpose ribbon. There are so many varieties of ribbon flowers too. I've seen a lot of carnations, daisies and of course, roses. But, once you get the basic method you should be able to come up with unique patterns for your own style of ribbon flower making.

Once you have made a few ribbon flower heads you can attach them to hair bands, use them when wrapping gifts/ presents and make them longer but attaching flower stems so they can sit in a vase. I've got an old one from days long ago which is still on my door knob, on the inside door where I seldom disturb it but get to see it often.

I've already written about ribbon embroidery. Making flowers out of ribbons is different because it's not embroidery. Instead of sewing with ribbon onto cloth, you are forming the ribbons into flowers, 3-D flowers rather than the (bumpy but mainly flat) 2-D flowers created with ribbon embroidery.

If you want to cheer up a friend, ribbon flowers are a good option. They can be taken into hospitals too because they have none of the qualities of real flowers, other than being cheerful, colourful and pretty.

Be Aware of Pollination and Flower Allergies

Most plant and flower allergies are caused by plants which are pollinated by the wind versus those pollinated by insects. So this is something to consider if you are looking at which plants to grow in your garden. If you plant insect pollinated flowers (entomophilous) you will have less allergy trouble. If you plant wind pollinated flowers (anemophilous) you will probably be itchy, sneezy and all the rest.

There are a lot of different fabrics which can be used to create flowers. Fabric flowers are good for people who can't have real flowers around for some reason, like allergies. I've got allergies and asthma myself. So flowers that don't have pollen at their centres are a good thing.

Not everyone likes or wants real flowers. Whether it's an event (like a wedding) or just flowers for around your home, it's nice having something add a splash of colour. Unlike plastic or silk flowers - a fabric bouquet could be put in the washer on the gentle cycle once in awhile and come out okay. This makes it good for people with allergies who need to keep down the dust bunny population in their home.

Not all fabric flowers will be machine washable. It will depend on how they were made. Chances are anything glued together won't survive a washing machine. But, any fabric flower can be dusted. Or, if you really have to be careful about dust, give them away and make new flowers a few times over the year. Not only will you be making someone else happy, but you will have a new flowers and a great excuse to do more experimenting with colours, shape, styles and fabric for your flowers.

Three Ways to Try Cleaning Fabric Flowers

Try a sink of soapy water (dish soap will do) and swish the flowers in the water. Cool water should be ok for flowers which are glued together rather than sewn flowers. Blot flowers dry.

Try a spray bottle with a mix of white vinegar and water and spritz the flowers to freshen them up. Blot dry with a clean cloth. It may not clean them well, but it will help if they have picked up odours from inside.

Try a dry clean method. Put a little salt or cornmeal in a bag, wrap the bag around the flower and shake it gently for a couple of minutes. The grit of the salt or cornmeal will pick up dirt and dust and remove it. This is one way to clean flowers which can not get wet.