Isn’t it fascinating how many beautiful plants are poisonous? Oleander, Datura, Foxgloves….
Poinsettias are some of the prettiest plants out there. The way their tiny yellow blooms are surrounded by gorgeous colored bracts is just incredible, and they bring a bright spot of color (or colors) to our homes in the deepest part of winter.
My mom used to buy them every year when I was a kid, and our cats would chew on the leaves here and there. They never seemed hurt by it, but we did have a couple develop liver problems eventually. Was it the plants or something else? We’ll never know.
The Latin name for Poinsettias is Euphorbia pulcherrima. Most euphorbias have a milky white sap that is mildly poisonous, but it’s more likely to burn than to kill. I grow a great many euphorbia at home, and while I’m very respectful of the sap, I have survived pruning and repotting them for many years now with nary a burn – though my long-gone pencil cactus did do its best to hurt me.
Interestingly though, there’s no actual evidence that euphorbia sap is toxic enough to kill. I was doing some research in preparation for a potential Christmas story, and came across some information on poison.org that belies the old adage that Poinsettias are highly poisonous.
Apparently, while the sap is irritating to the mouth and skin, there’s actually no evidence whatsoever that it will kill you (or your cat), and researchers can’t even find a dose that would be fatal.
As you might imagine, this was not good news for the story I’d been considering. But it is good news for those of use who like to keep euphorbia and pets in the same general vicinity. I also found another article on the toxicity of the euphorbia family as a whole at Dave’s Garden, which I’ve linked here for your perusal as well. Note that there are certainly some more potent than others, and pencil cactus (otherwise known as fire sticks for a very burning reason) is not one to be trifled with. But for the most part, they’re mildly irritating, and that’s about it.
Don’t get me wrong – I may still find a way to write a story where poinsettias are the cause of someone’s death. Sadly, it won’t be because they ingested the sap or leaves. Apparently I’ll need to get a bit more creative if one of my characters will use this particular plant to kill.
In the meantime, I bought a couple of these beauties – the one pictured above for my dining room table (looks a bit like blood splatter, don’t you think?) and a blood red one for my desk at work.
Will you be buying a poinsettia this year?
Bonus question: If you buy one, how long will it take you to kill it? (It normally takes me a few months – three, tops.)
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