Together with the decorated tree, the panettone and the intermittently warm lights, the Christmas Star it is certainly one of the main symbols of the holidays. So used to seeing it in winter homes, when you buy it to create a Christmas atmosphere, few know that in reality this plant is original of Mexico, where it grows spontaneously reaching even three to four meters in height, and which is not only red, but there are also some pink variety, white and even cinnamon. “What we think to be the petals are actually bracts, that is, leaves, typically colored in red, that surround the real inflorescence” says Anahi Bucchini, Botanical Garden Center of the Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino. “Their purpose is to protect the flower and to vex, that is, to attract insects for pollination.”
The origin of the Christmas star
«The Christmas star was already coming cultivated by the Indios, for which he represented purity»Says the expert. “A Mexican legend he says that a girl, having nothing, wanted to adorn the altar of the church in her village with flowers for the Christmas holidays. He decided he would donate what he had: herbs and wildflowers. So he entered the church and placed his wildflowers on the altar, yes transformed in bundles of stunning star-shaped red flowers».
Poinsettia: how to take care of it
Where to keep it at home
«First of all, it is a plant that cannot tolerate frosts and requires one temperature fra and 14 ed and 23 degrees. So, during the winter, it must be maintained inside of»Suggests the expert. «A lot of light, but not direct and, curiosity, it would require of spend some time in the dark, even in the absence of artificial light. More or less from late afternoon until the following morning. So if we have placed a Christmas star in the living room and we are night owls, let’s remember to move it to another area of the house from about 5 pm onwards ». Also, better place it away from heat sources (fireplace and / or radiator) and from air currents.
Watering
«Water it when the soil is dry. Therefore once or twice a week always checking the real need “Bucchini underlines. «Ed to avoid absolutely the stagnation of water in the saucer. An excellent method is to check the saucer after 20-30 minutes from watering and, if necessary, throw away the excess water ». Self loses its leaves, do not despair. «It is not a symptom of the suffering of the plant, but, often, it is due to the natural annual cycle. Before throwing it away, therefore, have a little patience ».
Christmas star in spring and summer
If you are good enough to make your poinsettia last until spring, «a March the plant will require one pruning of leafless branches and you can proceed with the repotting the plant»Warns the expert. In late spring and summer, however, «the plant should be arranged with due caution on the outside paying attention to the gradualness of exposure. Therefore to avoid locations too sunny (the light must not be direct) and privilege positions in partial shade. Watering must always be carried out checking the real needs and eliminating excess water. Every 15 days it is good to use a liquid fertilizer, rich in potassium and phosphorus, for green plants ».
Plant the poinsettia
If you want to give life to new plants, you can use the branches resulting from spring pruning. “Avoid the scissors. Better to use one blade per to avoid it crushing of the branch. Beware of latex spillage, first of all because The latex of euphorbias has an irritating action on the skin, secondly because the presence of latex prevents rapid healing of the plant tissues »concludes Bucchini. «We recommend immerse i rami cut in fresh water to stop them from leaking. Likewise we recommend, before grounding, a few minutes in warm water to dissolve the coagulated latex ».