Poinsettia
Euphorbia pulcherrima
Also called Christmas star
Houseplant · FloweringFar less poisonous than its reputation. It needs fourteen hours of true darkness a night to colour up.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 6 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 0.6 m tall · 0.5 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- Mexico
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: irritates the mouth and stomach and sometimes causes vomiting, but it is generally less toxic than its reputation.
PeopleIrritates skin
HandlingTake care handling it
The milky sap irritates skin and eyes; the reputation for lethality is undeserved, the irritation is not.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A puff of tiny white flies lifting off when you brush the pot, and a sticky shine on the leaf directly below.Glasshouse whitefly · pest
- Leaves fall from the bottom up within days of the plant standing in a draught or being carried home unwrapped in frost.Cold-shock leaf drop · disorder