Like Christmas trees, holly, mistletoe and other “pagan plants,” poinsettias have long been used to inject festive, flora-based flair into homes during the holidays. It has also long been believed that the leaves of these beautiful red plants from Mexico are poisonous when ingested by humans. This is simply not true as poinsettias are nontoxic to humans and animals.
Still, eating a poinsettia isn’t the wisest idea as doing so may result in the same effects as drinking two too many glasses of spiked eggnog: an upset stomach and possible vomiting. The poinsettias-will-kill-you myth is believed to have started in 1918 when a child in Hawaii was falsely believed to have died from poinsettia poisoning.
Not only are poinsettias not deadly but they’re also believed to be one of numerous houseplants that are effective in absorbing pollutants for improved indoor air quality.
I don’t have any lettuce so I may try a BPT for lunch — bacon, poinsettia and tomato.