Poinsettia Floating Candles - Interesting Tidbits

CANDLE-BOUTIQUE.COM has lots of candles for Christmas, Winter and the whole Holiday Season.

One of our favorite floating candles is our poinsettia floating candles. We offer a few different types, including our custom made poinsettia floating candles. The custom made ones can be ordered in either red or white with gold accents and come in different sizes and burn times.

There isn't anything more festive than using our poinsettia floating candles in a candle bowl and placed in the center of a table surrounded by silk or real poinsettia flowers.

Poinsettia's have been a holiday tradition for generations and judging by current sales, that tradition will last for many years to come.

We thought you might like a few tidbits about the poinsettia so we have included a brief history below:

INTERESTING TIDBITS:

Poinsettia, the Christmas plant, is popular in many American homes. With the introduction of long-lasting cultivars, the popularity of the poinsettia has increased significantly. It was introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Robert Poinsett, first U. S. ambassador to Mexico who obtained plants from the wilds of southern Mexico. The common name for the exotic plant, poinsettia, came from his last name. Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

The modern era of poinsettia culture began with the introduction of the seedling cultivar Oak Leaf (Fig. 3). This cultivar was reported to have been grown originally in Jersey City, New Jersey, by a Mrs. Enteman in 1923. From 1923 until the early 1960s, all of the principal cultivars of commercial importance were selections or sports from this original Oak Leaf seedling.
Nowadays, the poinsettia is the best-selling potted plant in the United States, and the vast majority comes from one source, the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California.

The popularity of the poinsettia as a holiday decorating staple is due completely to the members of the Ecke family, who have worked tirelessly for decades to market the plant.Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous if ingested. Apparently, the rumor started due to a story about an army officer's child who ingested a leaf in 1919 and died soon after. Poinsettia producers have been fighting the myth ever since. Researchers at Ohio State University have done extensive tests with rats, with no adverse effects. The American Medical Association has also stated that poinsettias are not poisonous. Poinsettias are a part of the Euphorbia family, members of which exude a milky sap when broken open. While not poisonous if injested, the sight of the sap can be alarming, and probably contributes to the myth. In many species, this sap can cause mild skin rashes.

The modern era of poinsettia culture began with the introduction of the seedling cultivar Oak Leaf (Fig. 3). This cultivar was reported to have been grown originally in Jersey City, New Jersey, by a Mrs. Enteman in 1923. From 1923 until the early 1960s, all of the principal cultivars of commercial importance were selections or sports from this original Oak Leaf seedling.