The best-selling potted plant in the United States, with over 70 million sold each year, is a euphorbia indigenous to Mexico and Central America: the poinsettia.
These popular holiday plants grow wild as shrubs or small trees in Mexico and Central America and were cultivated by the Aztecs for use as pigment dyes and for medicinal purposes.
Its name in the Nahuatl language is "cuetlaxóchitl,” or “a flower that withers," and it can grow up to 13 feet tall. What we often think of as the plant's blossoms are actually modified leaves, or bracts, which turn colors. The stems have a milky sap inside, a common trait for plants in the euphorbia family.
In the 1820s, the plant made its way into American greenhouses via the Ambassador to Mexico at the time, Joel Poinsett, who was also an amateur botanist.
Poinsettia plants can come in colors ranging from the familiar, like red and white, to yellow, orange, pink and even one called "Plum Pudding," a plant that turns a shade of purple.
Certain poinsettias have curled leaves, like "Winter Rose," and some they have double flowers and grow as a bushier plant.
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Miniature poinsettia varieties grow to about 6 inches tall and make great gifts. These petite plants can even be used as living ornaments to decorate a holiday tree.
Poinsettias also make nice houseplants if kept in a cool room. Remove the foil wrapping around the container before watering, then water them thoroughly so the water drains out. Avoid overwatering, as that will cause the leaves and bracts to drop off.
With proper care, poinsettia plants can thrive well past the holidays and into the spring.
The surge of the spurge
Q: Hi Charlie. I have plucked this weed thrice this season, and it has come back every time. What is it and how can I get rid of it permanently? Was hoping to plant garlic in these garden boxes, but I'm not sure I can now. It's also preventing the strawberries from spreading. - Trishla, Beacon, NY
A: Your weed may be a type of spurge, which is a low-growing ground cover plant. Spurge can be nice but it can also interfere with other plants growing near it, like your strawberries.
If you plan to remove it, note that spurge has a tap root, so even if you cut it off at the soil line, it'll regrow from that tap root.
In the spring, you'll see the spurge growing before everything else. Try to dig out as much as you can and keep cutting it back.
Most importantly, don't let it flower, because if the spurge drops seed, it will just keep spreading. Instead, try to get your strawberries established, and they'll be able to shade out the spurge.
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