Supers:
:01-:05 Gainesville, FL
:09-:14 Nikki Stafford - Loves Poinsettias
:18-:23 Linda Kubitz Reporting
:39-:44 Dr. Jim Barrett - UF Horticuluralist
TRT: 1:14
TAG: POINSETTIAS CAN LAST AS LONG AS 3 MONTHS INDOORS AS LONG AS THEY'RE PROPERLY WATERED REGULARLY BUT NOT SATURATED. ONCE ITS WARM ENOUGH, THEY CAN BE TRANPLANTED OUTSIDE.
SHOULD OLD AQUAINTENCE BE FORGOT? APPARENTLY NOT, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RED POINSETTIAS. THEY'VE BEEN THE HOLIDAY PLANT OF CHOICE FOR DECADES.
STAFFORD: I think they're special because they're only huge around this time of year. There are plenty of them and they're just red and green, Christmas colors. (:08)
TO GIVE CONSUMERS MORE OF A CHOICE, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCHERS ARE TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF WHEN IT COMES TO POINSETTIAS. RIGHT NOW, THE TRADITIONAL RED POINSETTIA HAS CORNERED 85% OF THE HOLIDAY SALES. BUT IT'S HOPED THAT WILL CHANGE WITH NEW VARIETIES LIKE THE WINTER ROSE.
BARRETT: "They look more like a rose then a poinsettia, very colorful leaves and flowers. We have flowers that look like the holly shape, that's a very traditional look. We have burgundy. We have purple poinsettias. We have ones with specks in their flowers and so we're providing the consumer with some interesting types of things other than the traditional red." (:17)
VARIETY CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE NEW USES FOR POINSETTIAS. UF RESEARCHERS ARE WORKING WITH POINSETTIAS WHICH HAVE COMPACT LEAVES AND LONGER STEMS SO THEY CAN BE USED IN CUT FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS. POINSETTIAS MAKE EXCELLENT LANDSCAPE PLANTS AS WELL. IN GAINESVILLE, I'M LINDA KUBITZ REPORTING.