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Philatelic Aspects of Ascension |
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Poinsetta | ||
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(euphorbia pulcherrima) |
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The best known member of the spurge family, native to Mexico and Central America, where it grows in moist, wooded ravines and on rocky hillsides. It is a leggy shrub of about 3 metres, and what look like petals are in fact leaf-like bracts surrounding a cluster of tiny yellow flowers. A milky latex in the stem and leaves can be irritating but the claim that it is poisonous is greatly exaggerated. |
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