Are Poinsettias poisonous?



Sorry this one is busted, if you really want to you can eat a Poinsettia this Christmas though I have heard it tastes really bad and may give you a stomachache. Apparently this myth started over 100 years ago when sadly a child was found dead next to a Poinsettia plant and was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for the plant and it got the rap. If you still are not convinced you can check out the National Capital Poison Center’s site.

5 Responses to “Are Poinsettias poisonous?”

  1. Garden4Life Says:

    One of the master gardeners I know told me a story of a seminar they went to on poisonous plants. They served a salad for lunch with poinsettia leaves in it to show they were not poisonous. I’ve heard though, they are not the most tasty.


  2. Robj98168 Says:

    I dont think I want to find out if it is or isn’t true with my cat eating anything that grows out of a pot. I reuse fake pointsettias in holiday decorating year after year, along with the fake christmas tree. I don’t get into the argument of whats better a fake tree or a real tree- I just make sure the fake one is used for at least 10 years, then come up with something else to do with it.


  3. Kylee Says:

    I posted this fact in a recent blog post about poinsettias, too. I don’t think I’ll try eating them though, since they do contain that milky, latex sap that causes many people irritation, like other Euphorbias.


  4. Matron Says:

    How easily those housewives tales can spread and be believed.


  5. The Cheap Vegetable Gardener Says:

    I think it would be one of those things you (or animal) would try once. Might be the reason they have survived the animals with scarse food during the winters.


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