Connecticut-Grown Poinsettias Generate $16 Million In Ag Commerce

Second only to the Christmas tree, poinsettias are the plants of this holiday season — and contrary to a common myth, they are not poisonous.

This year, Connecticut greenhouses will have grown and sold more than 1.1 million poinsettia plants. And their combined value to the Connecticut economy — wholesale and retail — will be close to $16 million, estimates Bob Heffernan of the Newtown-based Connecticut Green Industries Council.

As many as 25 percent of the Connecticut-grown poinsettias will have been exported outside the state.

Grown for their colorful red bracts, poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are plants native to Central America. To keep them longest, they need brighter light, such a near a window, and even watering. Never let their soil become cold and soggy. Red is still the most popular color, accounting for 85 percent of all poinsettias produced in Connecticut.

The poinsettia is the December pick of Connecticut’s plant professionals in their Connecticut GardenStars program that shows residents the plants that do well in our state. To see the monthly plant picks of Connecticut plant professionals, go to www.ctgardenstars.com.

More than a decade ago, the poinsettia plant was removed from the Connecticut Poison Control list of poisonous plants. While a tiny number of people can be allergic to the sap that leaks out of a pruned stem, the myth that they are dangerous is just that — a myth.

Extensive scientific research conducted for the nation’s floral industry showed that when as many as ten plants were ingested, there still was no toxicity.

At the same time, extensive breeding has created a huge range of selections and colors ideal for the home, and available in a size for every budget.

The Poinsettia was named for Joel Poinsett. He discovered these plants growing in Mexico in the early 1800s and is solely responsible for returning them to the United States and introducing them to nurserymen and botanical gardens.

These plants and thousands of others are available along the Connecticut Garden & Landscape Trail, a collection of garden centers, nurseries, and greenhouses. To see the stops on the trail, go to www.ctgardentrail.com.