Content
- Blossom and bracts of the Christmas star
- The poinsettia and its blossom
- Why does the poinsettia carry the eye-catching bracts?
- Bloom of the Christmas star
- Tips
The actual bloom of the poinsettia is very inconspicuous
Blossom and bracts of the Christmas star
The poinsettia is one of the most popular indoor plants because of its eye-catching bracts. The flowering time falls in the winter. Often, the colored leaves, which are arranged in a star shape, are mistakenly called a flower. The actual flower is rather inconspicuous.
The poinsettia and its blossom
Most striking are the bracts of the poinsettia. The flower itself can be found above the bracts. It consists of a single female flower surrounded by a wreath of male flowers.
It is so inconspicuous that it only attracts attention on closer inspection.
Why does the poinsettia carry the eye-catching bracts?
The bracts, botanically referred to as bracts, are used in nature to attract insects. They fertilize the flowers so that seeds can form in them. When breeding as a houseplant is almost never germinable seed. That's why offshoots of the poinsettia are pulled from cuttings.
Bloom of the Christmas star
The small flowers appear shortly after the sprouting of the bracts in November. The poinsettia flowers into February, if it is well cared for.
If you want to bring a poinsettia to a different season to bloom, this is easily possible.
You only have to worry about six to eight weeks before the poinsettia gets light less than twelve hours a day. This can be achieved by a location in total darkness as well as by short-term covering with an opaque paper bag.
Tips
Poinsettias come in different varieties. The most common are species with bright red bracts. But there are also cream-colored, yellow, orange and variegated leaf colors.