It is not a myth. Poinsettias are indeed toxic. Eat them and you will get
very ill and vomit. That is most certainly a toxic reaction. What they are
not is DEADLY LETHAL!!!

Steve Jones The Plant Man is a shill for the plant industry. He's just
playing with words. He should put his money where his mouth is and eat
Poinsettias himself and find out first-hand just how toxic they really are.


"Earl" wrote in message
om...
The Plant Man column
for publication week of 11/28/04 - 12/04/04
(667 words)
###

The Plant Man
by Steve Jones
www.landsteward.org

Poinsettias are non-toxic, despite the persistent myth!

For me, Thanksgiving always seems to be the point where fall ends and
winter
begins. The official calendar may disagree with me, but with Thanksgiving
behind us and Christmas less than a month away, I'm already thinking about
next spring.

For landscapers and gardeners, its not visions of sugar plums dancing in
our
heads. Rather, it's visions of fresh, green growth and emerging new buds
that we know are just around the corner. Well, almost...

First we must get through the rest of the Holidays with the minimum of
stress! In my next column, I will suggest a few stocking stuffers
(wheelbarrow stuffers?) for the gardeners on your list, or as
"I-deserve-it" treats for yourself.

But today, let's debunk a myth that seems to surface every year at about
this time.

The myth: Poinsettias are toxic.

The reality: They're not.

The origin of this misinformation apparently dates back to 1919 when the
death of an army officer's two-year-old child was wrongly attributed to
the
ingestion of Poinsettia leaves. Since then, according to web sites such
as
www.truthorfiction.com the myth of the poisonous Poinsettia has continued
to
spread.

A 50 lb child would have to eat 1.25 lbs of Poinsettia bracts (about 500
to
600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses reported by the POISINDEX
Information Service. Poisindex is the reference used by most poison
control
centers. You can read the full story at a web site that tracks urban
legends
he http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/poinsettia.asp and there is
a
direct link from this column archived under "The Plant Man" heading at my
web site, www.landsteward.org if you'd care to read it.

Furthermore, the snopes web site reports that the American Medical
Association's "Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants" lists nothing
more than occasional vomiting as a side effect of ingesting otherwise
harmless poinsettia leaves.

"It's a testament to the persistence of myths," says Paul Bachman,
marketing
chairman of the Society of American Florists and quoted at
www.twilightbridge.com "Poinsettias simply are not toxic. That was proven
23
years ago and we want to set the record straight."

Researchers at Ohio State University have measured the effects of
ingesting
unusually high doses of all parts of the plant, including the leaves, stem
and sap, and found the plants to be non-toxic.

But if you believe that Poinsettias are poisonous, you're not alone. In a
poll mentioned at the twilightbridge web site, only 16% of adults knew
that
the plants are non-toxic. (50% of respondents believed Poinsettias are
poisonous and 34% said they didn't know.)

But I have to say, I definitely do NOT suggest that any part of a
Poinsettia
should be eaten, particularly by small children, who could suffer some
discomfort and stomach upset even though they will not be poisoned.

Animals - particularly cats - should be kept away from Poinsettias because
they tend to vomit after eating ANY houseplant... even those "cat oats"
that
are grown specifically for them to chomp on.

So... for your peace of mind (and to avoid cleaning up kitty puke from the
rug) it's a good idea to display your Holiday Poinsettias away from the
kids
and the cats, even if you now know that no permanent damage is likely to
occur.

What about those other traditional Holiday decorations, holly and ivy?

According to various medical resources, most types of ivy would cause a
burning sensation in the throat when ingested. And eating the leaves or
berries of most varieties of holly would cause vomiting, nausea and
diarrhea. Again, all excellent reasons to keep your festive greenery away
from little hands and paws, but not particularly life-threatening!

Remember, I'm always pleased to receive your comments or questions and I
try
to respond personally via e-mail within a couple of days.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and
landscaping to and for resources and additional
information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter, visit
www.landsteward.org