Stars for Europe (SfE): National Poinsettia Day - 12 December - Celebrating the Nation's Favourite Christmas Houseplant
December 11 2018 - 1:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
LONDON, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight million
poinsettias will be sold in the UK over the festive season, but how
much do you know about the nation's favourite Christmas
houseplant?
Top 10 Facts About Poinsettia
- Poinsettia is named after Mr Joel
Roberts Poinsett, US diplomat and amateur botanist, who
discovered the plant whilst on a posting in Mexico and sent the cuttings to the US in
1828.
- National Poinsettia Day commemorates the death of Mr
Joel Roberts Poinsett on 12 December
1851.
- Red is the top selling colour, followed by white, but early in
the festive season it is possible to find poinsettias in some
unusual colours such as orange, salmon pink, lemon yellow, to name
but a few. In total there are more than 150 different
varieties.
- Poinsettia flowers are tiny berries at the centre and they are
called cyathia.
- The flower 'petals' we see are actually coloured leaf bracts,
and they can also be variegated or crinkled.
- Poinsettia is also known as 'Christmas Star' because of the
colourful star-shaped bracts.
- Poinsettias make striking cut flowers that are good value
too. Simply snip each stem and immediately dip the end into
recently boiled water for a few seconds to seal in the milky sap,
then put it straight into cold water. Try placing single
stems in tiny bud vases to decorate the festive table – one plant
goes a long way!
- Darkness is important when growing Poinsettias, they need 12
hours of complete darkness a day for their leaves to change from
green to their final colour.
- Poinsettia growers create black-out conditions in nurseries in
order for the plants to develop in time for Christmas.
- Poinsettias have an unfair reputation for being temperamental,
however, providing they are purchased from a reputable store or
garden centre, are given good light, minimal water and are kept
away from draughts, they will maintain perfect health.
@thechristmasstar
Notes to Editors:
- 8 million poinsettias will be sold in the UK this year.
- Between 105 and 110 million poinsettias will be sold in
Europe this year, of which 32
million will be sold in Germany.
- The UK Poinsettia campaign is supported by Stars for
Europe
(SfE). Stars for Europe (SfE) is the marketing initiative of
European poinsettia breeders Dümmen Orange, Selecta One, Beekenkamp
and Syngenta, supported by MNP Flowers. The initiative was founded
in 2000 with the aim to promote and secure long-term poinsettia
sales in Europe. SfE is currently
active in 16 European countries. In Germany, France, Poland and Sweden, marketing activities are supported by
the EU as part of the "Stars Unite Europe" campaign.
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