FLOWERS OF BELIZE - POINSETTA

CHRISTINA'S "FLOWERS OF BELIZE" SERIES (PART FIVE)

Brought to you by Black Orchid Management, Ltd.

If you were to ask me what I like most about flowers, I will tell you, they make me happy.  They are beautiful to look at.  Have you ever seen someone gaze upon a beautiful flower and stay in a bad mood?  NEVER!  Flowers, lift our spirits, they can change our mood, they make us happy and it is the one way, that we can tell someone else we love them, simply by handing them a flower.  Please follow me on my journey through the Belize rain forest jungle, to explore all the different flowers there are to see.  I sincerely hope you enjoy my series entitled "Flowers of Belize". 

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POINSETTA'S
Commonly known as Poinsettia, this flowering plant is a native to Mexico and Central America and is found in the wild in the deciduous tropical forest down the entire pacific coast of Chiapas and Guatemala.

This plant was introduced in the US in 1828 by Joel Roberts Poinsetta, the first United States Minister to Mexico. It is also called the Ataturk flower.   It is a shrub reaching 0.6 to 4m height and bears dark green dentate leaves of 7-16 cm long. The flowers are mostly red with sometimes orange, pale green, pink, white or marbled colors. There are now over 100 cultivated varieties of Poinsettias known at present. The red spotted plant is very popular in America and Europe during Christmas time and is also gaining popularity in the Australian markets. The flowers are available during the month of January to March.

The flower has been rumored to have toxic components . However it can be mildly irritating to the skin and can cause nausea and diarrhea if eaten. The plant is sensitive to ethylene and should be kept away from fruits, exhausts and cigarette smoke. The plant needs to be watered well and should never be frozen for preservation.

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