Poinsettias today come in many shades other than red, including cream, pink, salmon and maroon. Cream-colored leaves are sometimes spray painted blue or purple. Photo by Lela Martin

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When you envision natural holiday décor for your home, you may picture cut evergreen trees, boughs and swags. However, your home will be even more beautiful with the addition of colorful, living plants.

The poinsettia is the most popular flowering plant sold in the United States — with more than 70 million sold nationwide each year — and it sports some of the brightest indoor blooms.

Poinsettias, Euphorbia pulcherrima, come in more than 100 varieties, with shades from white to deep red. The scientific name in Latin means “the most beautiful Euphorbia.”

Also called “painted leaf” or “flame-leaf” flower, poinsettia plants have flowers, but they are not what you may think. What you may call the “flowers” are actually bracts, or modified leaves. The flowers are the tiny yellow cyathia in the center of the bracts.

When shopping for poinsettias, check those cyathias; select a plant with little or no yellow pollen showing to enjoy your potted plant longer.

Poinsettias are tropical

When you purchase a poinsettia, remember that these are tropical plants, so protect your tender plant from the store to your home by wrapping it in a plastic bag or lightweight cloth to shield it from the elements.

Since the poinsettia is less forgiving than many houseplants, you need to be concerned with water, light and temperature requirements once you get it home.

In selecting the right location for your colorful plant, remember that poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America. The ancient Aztecs cultivated this plant and believed it to be a symbol of purity.

Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, collected and introduced the “Mexican fire plant” to the Bartram Botanical Garden in Philadelphia in 1828. However, it was a Philadelphia nurseryman, Robert Buist, who saw the potential of the newly introduced plant, which was later named after Poinsett.

Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous, an Ohio State University study found. However, their milky sap may cause skin irritation and nausea in people with latex allergies. So, keep it away from children and pets.

Caring for your plant

Place your plant where it can receive six hours of bright, indirect sunlight daily, but do not let it touch a cold windowpane.

During daylight hours, keep the plant between 65 and 75º F. If possible, keep the plant a little cooler at night, but no lower than 60º. Drafts (either hot or cold) can cause premature leaf drop.

Make sure the pot has a drainage hole. Check the soil daily; if the surface is dry to the touch, water until soil comes out of the drainage hole. For an 8” diameter pot, you will need approximately 20 fluid ounces of water at a time.

You may want to remove the festive foil, which can stay soggy, and place the pot on a saucer. But make sure to discard any water that collects in the saucer to avoid root rot.

If your plant wilts, water it right away, and then water again five minutes later. Your poinsettia will also thrive with daily misting. However, do not fertilize a poinsettia when it is in bloom.

Consider other shades

You can find poinsettias around the holidays to fit into almost any decorating scheme. They range from creamy white to pink to maroon, including the traditional bright red.

Since traditional red and green don’t work well in my own home, I look for a salmon and cream variegated variety called ‘Marble Star.’

“Flower” (i.e., bract) forms vary as well, with some resembling roses. Some varieties have bracts with patterns in red and white, pink and white, or green and white — even bright orange.

You will also find unusually colored poinsettias, such as blue or purple, in garden centers. These are cream-colored varieties that are spray painted. They are also sometimes sprinkled with glitter. My experience is that these are typically shorter-lived than the natural plants.

Lela Martin is a Master Gardener with the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension.