POINSETTIA (poinset’ia) is one of the most popular plants for the Christmas season. It grown for its great clusters of bright scarlet leaves at the ends of long stems. The small inconspicuous flowers occur at the center of this mass of leaves. The brightly colored leaves are often referred to as the flowers. The foliage leaves are deeply lobed and bright, waxy green. In the northern United States very large quantities of poinsettia are grown in greenhouses. In the southern portion, including Florida and southern California, the plant lives out-of-doors as a perennial. There it may become a shrub up to 15 feet or more in height. Usually the large stems are cut back, often to the ground, every year or two. New shoots are then produced and later bloom profusely. In the greenhouse the plants are propagated from cuttings. If these are made as early as May, the plants grow large and tall by Christmas time. If propagated as late as August, or even September, the plants will bloom but are much shorter. The short plants are excellent for growing in pots.

POPPY (pop’e) is the common name of many species of plants of the poppy family. All of them have milky or colored juice and usually showy flowers. Some poppies grow wild in almost every country in the North Temperate Zone. Several kinds are raised in gardens for their large, many-tinted flowers.

　　Oriental poppies, natives of the Mediterranean region, have the largest flowers, often six to eight inches across, white to red in color. Iceland poppies, from arctic regions, have small, fragrant flowers of different delicate colors. Alpine poppies are low-growing rock garden Perennials with sweet-scented yellow or white flowers. The popular, many-colored Shirley Poppies are cultivated forms of the corn, or Flanders poppy, a common wild flower of Europe and Asia. They are annuals.

The opium poppy, with gray-green leaves and white to purple flowers, is sometimes grown in gardens. It is widely cultivated in eastern countries for opium, made from the juice or its unripe seed pods. The ripe seeds are used in baking. Growing the plant is illegal in the United States. (See Opium.)

The plume poppy, native in eastern Asia, is a tall, bushy plant with bluish-gray leaves, topped by a showy cluster of white flowers. The California poppy, with satiny, creamy to bright orange flowers, grows wild in western United States. Cultivated varieties may have single or double flowers, some in shades of red. Prickly poppies are natives of the warm, dry parts of the United States. They have white, yellow, or purplish poppy like flowers and thistle like leaves. They become weeds in some places.

Poppies grow best in sunny places. Most kinds do well in ordinary garden soil. Seeds should be planted in the fall or in very early spring. Some poppies self-sow. Oriental poppies, true perennials, are grown from seed or from root-cuttings. Iceland and California poppies are perennials that bloom in their first season if the seeds are planted early.

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NARCISSUS. A large genus of flowers of the amaryllis family, native to Asia and Europe, is called narcissus. Included are the daffodil, the poet’s narcissus, the jonquil, and others.

All the species produce bulbs, from which the long, narrow leaves arise. These usually appear with the blooms. The flowers are white to yellow, seldom green, solitary or in clusters at the top of the flower stalk. The flowers of some are very fragrant, while some have no odor. The most interesting feature of the flower botanically is the “corona” or “cup,” which arises in the throat of the bloom and may be long and tubular, or cup shaped, or reduced to a ring in some forms. Narcissus should be planted early—before the end of September. They should be at least three inches apart and covered with about four inches of well-drained soil of medium texture and fertility. The paper white narcissus may be planted in a dish filled with small stones or fiber. It must be well watered and kept in a cool place until well rooted. Then it can be placed in a sunny window. Many other varieties are grown in greenhouses. They are excellent house plants from Christmas through Easter. Some varieties become perennial outdoors and, if undisturbed, will multiply for many years.

OLEANDER is an evergreen shrub cultivated for its showy flowers and handsome foliage. It belongs to the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. In warm regions it grows outdoors all year. In cooler regions it makes a fine house- and greenhouse plant. The common oleander, Nerium oleander, native to the Mediterranean region, grows 8 to 20 feet tall. Its thick, lance-shaped leaves, up to 10 inches long and 1 inch wide, are grouped in threes or fours along the stem. Except in double-flowered varieties the red, white, pink, or purple blossoms have five petals. The blossoms, which are l,5 to 3 inches wide, cluster at the branch tips. Narrow seed pods, 4 to 7 inches long, contain many fuzzy seeds. Similar to the common oleander, but sweeter smelling, is the fragrant oleander, Nerium odorum, native to southern Asia.

All parts of the plants are poisonous. So is the smoke from burning oleander wood and honey from oleander nectar. One leaf of oleander can kill the cow or horse that eats it.

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Mint is the name of a large family of plants that grow mostly in temperate regions. There are about 3,500 species of mints. Many are highly fragrant. Their leaves are dotted with small glands that contain aromatic oils. The oils are released when the leaves are crushed.

The leaves of all mint plants grow in pairs on opposite sides of the stem, which in most species is distinctly square. Most mint plants have small, white, bluish, or pinkish flowers. In some species, such as lavender and permint, the flowers grow on spikes at the end of the stem. Mint plants usually bear small, roundish fruit that divides into four nut lets when mature.

Mint plants are particularly abundant in the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. Both the leaves and the oil of mints are used as herbs for flavoring in cooking. The leaves may be used either fresh or dried. Popular cooking mints include marjoram, rosemary, and sage. Such mints as white horehound and peppermint add a cool, sharp flavor to candies. Mints also are used in some medicines and perfumes.

Mignonette, is an attractive garden plant of North America and Europe. Its name comes from a French word that means little darling. The mignonette has a low, bushy mass of smooth, soft-green leaves. The tiny flowers grow on tall spikes. The flowers are yellowish-white with reddish pollen stalks inside, and they have a delightful fragrance. Gardeners have produced larger-flowered mignonettes, but they are not as fragrant some cultivated varieties make excellent border plants. The mignonette grows best in a cool temperature and a light soil. It is a hardy plant that may be grown from seed plantings in May and July.

Mistletoe is a plant that grows as a parasite on the trunks and branches of various trees. The American mistletoe and the European mistletoe grow most often on apple trees. They also may grow on other trees, such as the lime, hawthorn, sycamore, poplar, locust, fir, and occasionally on oak. The dwarf mistletoe is a small variety that grows on pines in the Eastern United States.

Mistletoe is an evergreen with leathery, oblong leaves. It has tiny yellow flowers that bloom in February and March. Birds eat the white, shiny fruits called berries. The berry seeds cling to the bills of birds and are scattered when birds sharpen their bills against the bark of trees. The berries may be poisonous to people.

Mistletoe is associated with many traditions and holidays, especially Christmas. Historians say the Druids—ancient priests of the Celts—cut the mistletoe that grew on the sacred oak and gave it to the people for charms. In Teutonic mythology, an arrow of mistletoe killed Balder, son of the goddess Frigg. Early European peoples used mistletoe as a ceremonial plant. The custom of using mistletoe at Christmastime probably comes from this practice. In many countries, tradition says that a person caught standing beneath mistletoe must forfeit a kiss.

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Larkspur is a favorite flower among gardeners. One of its petal like sepals is elongated into a spur, which resembles the spur of a lark’s back toe; hence the name larkspur. Because the unopened bud looks somewhat like a dolphin and because the Latin word for dolphin is delphinus, the flower is also called delphinium. The annual species larkspur and the perennial species delphinium.There are more than 150 species of larkspur growing wild in all parts of the world where the climate is mild. In addition there are over 1,000 cultivated varieties. The flowers of the most favored varieties are rather closely packed on tall spikes, often attaining a height of five or six feet.Each flower is made up of a single or double row of brightly colored sepals. Blue is the most common color, but purple, pink; white, scarlet, and yellow also occur. At the center of each flower are tiny fringelike petals, often covering the pistils and stamens. Inside the spur are two sacs filled with nectar which attracts bees and hummingbirds.Name is preferred by botanists. Many gardeners, however, like to divide these plants into two groups, calling the Larkspur is very easily cultivated. The plants grow best in deep, rich loam soil in places well exposed to the sun. Annual larkspur should usually be planted early in spring in the place where the plants are to bloom since they do not often with stand being transplanted. Perennial varieties however, are best started indoors in February or March and transplanted outdoors in April or May. The number of perennial plants in the garden can be increased by cuttings taken from plants that are already well grown. The tall graceful spikes blossom almost all summer.

LADY’S-SLIPPER , a wild flower of the orchid family. It grows in cool, deep woods and damp marshes. About ten species are found in North America.

The Indians called one of the large pink lady’s-dippers the moccasin flower. Its Latin name, cypripedium, means “slipper of Venus,” the goddess of gardens. These names were given the plant because the lower part of its Sower shaped like the front part of a slipper. This pouch like slipper is usually gaily colored. In it is sweet nectar that attracts insects. Above the slipper part are two petals and three.

Some lady’s-slippers are only six inches tall. The largest kind grows to three feet. Perhaps the best-known species are the two pink lady’s-slippers which bloom in sandy woods or moist areas. They have rose-colored or pink-lined white pouches. The large yellow lady’s-slipper has a yellow pouch marked with purple, while that of the small yellow lady’s-slipper is clear pale yellow. All these flowers used to be common throughout the eastern and central United States and Canada. However, they are becoming rare because people often pick or destroy the flowers in the woods. Many kinds are grown in greenhouses. These have greenish, brown, or striped flowers.

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JASMINE is a climbing, trailing, or spreading shrub of the olive family. Most of the more than 100 species are natives of the warmer parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some keep their leaves all year, and some lose them in the autumn. All jasmines have shiny dark-green leaves and bear small white or yellow flowers. The flowers are usually sweet-smelling and grow in clusters, followed by small berries. Plants usually are grown from layers (a branch bent over into soil) or cuttings rather than horn seeds.Among the jasmines grown in the United States a few are found as far north as Washington D.C. These include the yellow-flowered Italian jasmine, from Asia; the primrose jasmine and the winter jasmine, which has yellow blossoms, both from China; and the common white jasmine, from Persia. Common farmer south is the Catalonian or Spanish jasmine, from India, much grown in Europe. Oil from the pinkish-white flowers of this variety is used in making perfume. The flowers of one species of jasmine are used in China to perfume tea. In Turkey pipe stems are made from the wood of another. Several plants with fragrant flowers called jasmines belong to other plant groups. Cape jasmine, for example, is a species of gardenia. Carolina, or yellow jasmine (Jessamine), is an evergreen vine with bright, trumpet-shaped flowers. The drug, gelsemium, is made from its roots. The star or Confederate jasmine is a white-flowered evergreen of the dogbane family.

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT (jak in the pul’pit) is among the unusual wild flowers of eastern North America. Its striped hood, or spathe, which protects tiny flowers clustered on a club-shaped stem, or spadix, resembles an old-fashioned covered pulpit. The spadix, called “Jack” by custom, is imagined to be a preacher inside.

Moist woodlands from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Minnesota and Illinois are the usual places to find jack-in-the-pulpit. The plant grows up a foot or higher, with leaves and spathe tightly rolled up at first. The striped spathe varies in color from maroon and green to white and green. In late summer the spathe drops off and exposes shiny green berries, which turn bright red as autumn nears.

The plant is also called Indian turnip because the Indians knew how to use the underground stem (corm) for food. Raw corms are peppery tasting and dangerous to eat. Jack-in-the-pulpit, called Arisaema triphyllum by botanists, blooms each spring. It is in the arum family (Araceae) along with the calla lily and skunk cabbage.

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