It’s not difficult living with dangerous holiday plants
The holidays seem to have several plants that remind us of the holiday season. It is the time of year for poinsettias, mistletoe, holly and some flowering bulbs.
The Christmas flower also known as poinsettias are members of the euphorbia family. Plants in the euphorbia family are known for small flowers and showy leaves. If you look closely at your poinsettia the actual flower is yellow, but the top leaves turn red, white, pink or multi-colored. The leaves that have turned colored are botanically called “bracts”. Your job is to keep the bracts or leaves from falling off.
If you have purchased or are going to buy a poinsettia, there are a few rules to follow to make the plants last longer in your home. If your poinsettia came with a sleeve protecting the plant, remove the sleeve as soon as you get the plant home. If the container has aluminum decorative wrap around it, either remove the wrap or make sure there are holes punched in the aluminum, so the water can drain out of the container. Do not water your poinsettia until the soil is dry.
One of the quickest ways to have your poinsettia drop its leaves is to over-water your plant. Place your poinsettia in a saucer to capture the water and protect your furniture. Try to find a place to display your plant that has at least six hours a day of indirect sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight if possible.
Your poinsettia likes room temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees during the day and 55 to 60 degrees at night. Do not allow the temperature to drop below 50 degrees.
The biggest concern with poinsettias is “are poinsettias poisonous?” Plants in the euphorbia family are known for their white milky sap, which ranges from toxic, to a skin irritant, to non-toxic. Poinsettias fall into the skin irritant. Poinsettias are not considered poisonous.
Studies conducted by The Ohio State University in cooperation with the Society of American Florists concluded that no toxicity was evident at experimental ingestion levels far exceeding those likely to occur in a home environment.
In fact, the POISINDEX Information Service, the primary information resource used by most poison control centers, states that a 50-pound child would have to ingest over 500 poinsettia leaves to surpass experimental doses. Even at this level, no toxicity was demonstrated.
As with all ornamental plants, poinsettias are not intended for human or animal consumption, and certain individuals may experience an allergic reaction to poinsettias. However, the poinsettia has been demonstrated to be a safe plant.
The most poisonous plant used in holiday decorations is mistletoe. The leaves of the mistletoe are poisonous, and the berries are extremely poisonous. Normally mistletoe does not create too much of a problem because the mistletoe is placed out of the reach of children. Occasionally berries or leaves will drop off the plant as it dries out. If you decorate with mistletoe, be careful and you should not have any problems.
Holly is another poisonous plant often used for holiday decorations. The berries of most hollies are toxic to some degree. However, none of the hollies are as toxic as mistletoe.
Another plant that is commonly used for its berries around Christmas time is pyracantha or firethorn. The common landscape shrub has long spines on the branches and are covered with red, orange or yellow berries during the fall and winter.
Since the berries are plentiful, many people use the berries in decorations. Most people believe that the berries are poisonous, however they are not poisonous. Pyracantha berries are basically small apples. Like apples, pyracantha berries easily ferment, making alcohol. As winter continues the birds will eat the berries and become intoxicated. They will stagger across the lawn or fly into windows after eating too many berries.
Another poisonous plant used around the holidays is the paper white narcissus. All narcissuses, including common daffodils, are poisonous. These plants are not much of a risk because only the bulb is poisonous.
Just because a plant is poisonous does not mean that we should not plant it in a landscape or use it in decorations. We need to teach our children and friends about plants and how to live with them, not how to fear plants.