Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Christmas Poisons

In doing some research on the Christmas Rose, I have found that the entire plant is extremely toxic, despite its beauty and its availability as a seasonal decoration. This would make an interesting plot point in a holiday mystery, I suppose.

Paradoxically, this same flower, in my dictionary of flower symbols, stands for "relief from anxiety." Is this because poison relieves us of our anxiety by killing us? Or is it perhaps simply that looking at something beautiful can lessen our anxious thoughts?

In any case, I've never run across this particular flower, but botanists on the Cornell website warn that one should be careful in placing it near cats, dogs, or children, who can be the more "playful" members of our family--that is, the ones in danger of eating a plant. :)

I guess I'll stick with the pointsettia--oh, wait . . . that's poisonous, too.

Plastic flowers it shall be!

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