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Poinsettias - Euphorbia pulcherrima

Poinsettias know as Christmas Flower, it is identically to Christmas event in December. Its binomial name was Euphorbia pulcherrima. It can be called noche buena too. Poinsettias are species of flower indigenous to Mexico and Central America.

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Classification :

                                            Kingdom   : Plantae

                                            Division    : Magnoliophyta 

                                            Class         : Magnoliopsida 

                                            Order        : Malpighiales 

                                            Family       : Euphorbiaceae 

                                            Genus       : Euphorbia 

                                            Species     : Euphorbia pulcherrima 

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How Do We Knew It? 

               Poinsettias is a shrub or small tree, typically reaching a height of 0.6 to 4 m (2 to 16 ft). The plant bears dark green dentate leaves that measure 7 to 16 cm (3 to 6 inches) in length. The colored bracts, which are most often flaming red but can be orange, pale green, cream, pink, white or marbled, are actually leaves; because the flowers are unassuming and do not attract pollinators, brightly coloured leaves developed (aka bracts). The colors come from photoperiodism, meaning that they require darkness for 12 hours at a time for at least 5 days in a row to change color. At the same time, the plants need a lot of light during the day for the brightest color.

               Because of their groupings and colors, laymen often think the bracts are the flower petals of the plant. In fact, the flowers are grouped within the small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, and they are called cyathia.

               This species is native to Mexico. It is found in the wild in deciduous tropical forest at moderate elevations from southern Sinaloa down the entire Pacific coast of Mexico to Chiapas and Guatemala. It is also found in the interior in the hot, seasonally dry forests of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Reports of E. pulcherrima growing in the wild in Nicaragua and Costa Rica have yet to be confirmed by botanists.

                   The bright petals of Poinsettias, which look like flowers, are actually the bunch of upper leaves of the plant, called bracts. Poinsettia flowers are small, green or yellow, and grow inconspicuously in the center of each leaf bunch. Poinsettias are sub-tropical plants and therefore wither if the night temperature falls below 10 degrees C (50 degrees F). The day time temperatures in excess of 21 degrees C (70 degrees F) shorten the lifespan of Poinsettias.

                In colder climates, Poinsettias are grown as indoor plants. As indoor plants, Poinsettias need exposure to the morning sun and shade during the hotter part of the day. Poinsettias are one the most difficult to reflower after the initial display when purchased. Poinsettias need a period of uninterrupted long, light-free nights for about two months in early spring in order to develop flowers.

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The Link With Christmas  ~

                The ancient Aztecs (the Mexican Indians) prized the Poinsettia as a symbol of purity. Centuries later, Mexico's early Christians adopted the Poinsettia as their prized Christmas Eve flower. The Mexican Poinsettia, known as the Christmas flower in North America, is used in most Christmas decorations, owing to its bright red color and its blooming season coinciding with the Christmas holiday season.

                  The Mexican poinsettias are commonly bright red. For some, these star-shaped bracts symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. The Christmas Poinsettia flowers have become a symbol of Christmas and are used as festive decor. 

                  A Mexican legend explains how Poinsettias came to be associated with Christmas. Apparently, a child who could not afford a gift to offer to Christ on Christmas Eve picked some weeds from the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. When brought into the church, the weeds bloomed into red and green flowers and the congregation felt that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.

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How to care??

TO GROWING IT :

Start it with cuttings from the original Poinsettia plant, which would then develop into sizes you are normally inclined to purchase at Christmas. 

• In July or August remove three- or four-inch cuttings from the new Poinsettia growth on the plant.
• Insert each Poinsettia cutting in a small pot containing a sterilized mixture of half sand and half peat moss. 
• Keep the Poinsettia cuttings shaded and watered during the rooting period for about three weeks.
• Then set the Poinsettia plants in larger pots in a sterilized mixture of equal parts of soil or sand, peat moss, and perlite. 
• The soil in which poinsettias grow should be kept moist at all times, but not excessively wet.
• Avoid placing poinsettias in areas which receive air movement from windows, doors, fans, or radiators exists. If placed in such locations, they cause premature flower, bract, and leaf drop.

TO CARE IT :

• Keep your Poinsettia plant near a sunny window where it will have the most available sunlight. Sunlight should be available for the Poinsettia for at least five hours a day. A window that faces south, east or west is the best location to place your Poinsettia.
• Do take precaution that no such part of the plant touches the cold windowpane which may injure it. 
• Let not the soil in the Poinsettia pot dry out. If you feel dryness of the soil on touching it, do water it until it runs freely out the drainage hole in the container. The pot should be able drain the excess water as waterlogging in the pot is not good for Poinsettia. Waterlogged soil lacks sufficient air, which may result damage of roots.
• Poinsettias exposed to high light and low humidity require more frequent watering. 
• Maintain the temperature of the location at 65 to 70 degrees F during the daylight hours for Poinsettias to maintain its blooming in a good stead.
• It is a good practice to move Poinsettias to a cooler place at night but it is not a demanding criterion. Because root rot disease is more prevalent at temperatures below 60 degrees F, do not put the poinsettia in a room colder than this. 
• Poinsettias form flower buds when the days are shorter than 12 hours.
• Get your Poinsettias to bloom by dark treatment of Poinsettias! Beginning the first of October, protect the plants from light by placing them in a dark closet between 5:00 PM and 8:00 AM daily. 
• Exposure to even the slightest amount of artificial light during this period will inhibit flowering.
• After 40 days of this treatment, the plants can be kept in normally lighted rooms. 
• With water, fertilizer, and 60-70 degree F night temperatures, the plants will flower during December.
• After the plants begin to drop their leaves, withhold water to encourage dormancy, and store in a cool location (50-60 degrees F).

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What It Needed ?

Light - Place it near a sunny window. South, east or west facing windows are preferable to a north facing window. Poinsettias are tropicals and will appreciate as much direct sunlight as you can provide.

Heat - To keep the poinsettia in bloom as long as possible, maintain a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F. during the day. Dropping the temperature to about 60 degrees F. at night will not hurt the plant. However, cold drafts or allowing the leaves to touch a cold window ca injure the leaves and cause premature leaf drop. If you’ve ever see a gangly poinsettia in bloom, with only a couple of sad looking leaves hanging on, it was probably exposed to temperatures that were too cool or extreme shifts in temperature.

Water - Water the plant whenever the surface feels dry to the touch. Water until it drains out the bottom, but don’t let the plant sit in water. Wilting is another common cause of leaf drop. A wilted plant can be revived and salvaged, but it will take another season to improve its appearance.

Humidity - Lack of humidity during dry seasons, in particular winter, is an ongoing houseplant problem. If your home tends to be dry and your poinsettia is in direct light, you will find yourself watering frequently, possibly every day.

In Seasons After Christmas Needed (>o<)

January - March : Keep watering the poinsettia whenever the surface is dry.

April : Starting April 1st, gradually decrease water, allowing the to get dry between waterings. Be careful the stem does not begin to shrivel. This is a sign the plant is too stressed and is dying. In a week or two, when the plant has acclimated to this drying process, move it to a cool spot like the basement or a heated garage. You want to keep it at about 60 degrees F. 

May : In mid-May, cut the stems back to about 4 inches and repot in a slightly larger container, with new potting soil. Water it well. Place the newly potted plant back into the brightest window you have and once again keep it at a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F. Continue watering whenever the surface of the soil feels dry. 

Watch for new growth. Once new growth appears, begin fertilizing every two weeks with a complete fertilizer. Follow fertilizer label recommendations.

June : More the poinsettia outside, pot and all. Keep it in a partially shaded location and maintain your watering and fertilizing schedule. 

July : In early July, pinch back each stem by about one inch. This is to encourage a stout, well branched plant. If left unpinched, the poinsettia will grow tall and spindly. 

August : By mid-August, the stems should have branched and leafed out. Once again, pinch or cut the new stems, leaving 3-4 leaves on each shoot. Bring the plant back indoors and back into your brightest window. Continue watering and fertilizing. 

September : Continue regular watering and fertilizing. Make sure the temperature stays above 65 degrees F. 

October : Poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning their bud set is affected by the length of daylight. To re-bloom, poinsettias need about 10 weeks with 12 hours or less of sunlight per day. You will have to artificially create these conditions and it’s crucial that you be diligent. 

Beginning October 1st, keep your plant in complete darkness from 5 pm to 8 am. Any exposure to light will delay blooming. Use an opaque box or material to block out light. Many people place their plants in a closest, but if light gets in though the cracks or if you open and use the closet, it will affect the bud set.

Move the plant back to the sunny window during the daytime and continue watering and fertilizing.

November : Around the last week of November, you can stop the darkness treatment and allow the plant to remain in the window. You should see flower buds at this point 

December : Stop fertilizing about December 15th. Keep watering and treat your plant the way you did when you first brought it home in bloom. If all has gone well, it should be back in bloom and ready to begin the process all over again.

The detailed to take care this plant, you can get in this site.
If the link above can't get you to there, I will write the address http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1248.html


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Do You KNOW ??

Poinsettias birth month was December, with  Holly, Narcissus,  and Paperwhite.
The language flower for this plant in its traditional meanings was "Be of Good Cheer".

Source taken from :

• http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1248.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinsettia#Christmas_tradition

• http://www.iflorist.com/t-meaning.aspx

• http://gardening.about.com/od/winterinthegarden/a/Poinsettia.htm

• http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/giftflowers/flowersandoccassions/poinsettias