QUESTION : We have been searching the Internet for the correct pronunciation of poinsettia. There are two camps on this one. Some say poinsettia. Others say poin?set?ee?ah. Please settle this for us.
ANSWER : I am probably not going to be of much help on this one. As one who must interface with the public on a continuing basis, I generally listen to their pronunciation and then repeat it back to them. Even at this web site, (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary), you will find that both pronunciations are acceptable. So you pay your nickel and take your choice!

 

QUESTION : I have 'Heavenly Bamboo' in my backyard. I am concerned about toxicity. Is this plant a problem?
ANSWER : The information that I have indicates that the berries are possibly toxic. See this North Carolina State University web site:
http://russell4.hort.ncsu.edu/poison/Nandido.htm
None of the other poisonous plant web sites that I have searched even list Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo) as being toxic. Therefore I do not think that you need be concerned.

QUESTION : Originally, did gum come from gum trees? How did they get chewing gum from the tree? Please let me know?
ANSWER : Chewing gum is made from the sap to the Sapodilla tree which is called Chicle. This web site (http://cavadias.com/gum.html) gives a very brief history of chewing gum. It says: "CHEWING GUM ? When Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Mexican leader of the Alamo attack, was in exile on Staten Island, New York, in 1869, he brought with him a large lump of chicle, the elastic sap of the Sapodilla tree, which Mayan Indians had been chewing for centuries. He hoped that Thomas Adams, an inventor, could refine the chicle for a rubber substitute. Adams experimented with the stuff, but it remained lifeless. By chance, he saw a little girl buying paraffin a "pretty poor gum" at a drug store. Adams asked the druggist if he would be willing to try a new kind of gum. He said yes. Adams rushed home, soaked and kneaded the chicle into small grayish balls. The druggist sold all of them the next day. With $55, Adams went into business making Adams New York Gum #1 and set the world to chewing and snapping!"

More information can be found at this web site (http://203.8.182.11/dest/cam/bel2.htm). It says: "Chicle is the pinkish to reddish?brown gum (actually the coagulated milky sap or latex) of the Sapodilla tree, a tropical evergreen native to the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize and other parts of Central America. The sap is collected by chicle?workers who cut large gashes in the Sapodilla's trunk and collect the sap as it seeps from the wound. The sap is then boiled, cut into blocks and exported.

Chicle was originally used as a natural substitute for rubber, but by about 1890 it was best known as the main ingredient in chewing gum. During World War II, the search for a rubber substitute led to synthetic products replacing chicle both in rubber and chewing gum production. By taking the chicle out of our gum, we cease to support a renewable rainforest industry when we masticate: Sapodilla sapping, which does not destroy the tree, is forest-friendly production.

QUESTION : Can you tell me if Ficus benjamina's leaves are toxic?
ANSWER : In my search of the web, the only mention I can find of Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig)being toxic is this North Carolina State University web site:
http://russell4.hort.ncsu.edu/poison/Ficusbe.htm
It says that the plant sap may cause dermatitis and allergic reaction. There is no other mention of toxicity. Therefore, I believe that there is no reason for concern.

QUESTION : I have a beautiful plumeria growing in a 5 gallon pot but it has leaned over to an almost horizontal position about halfway up the trunk. What I would like to do is divide this plant into two separate plants, leaving the original plants root structure intact and planting the top portion in new soil. When would be the best time to do this and is there something I should place on the cut areas to promote healing or rooting ?
ANSWER : At this web site you will find all you ever wanted to know about plumeria culture and propagation:
http://www.io.com/~jrm/plumeria
This site is specifically about propagation and will answer your questions:
http://www.io.com/~jrm/plum005.htm

QUESTION : We would like your advice on choosing a grass for our bare lawn. We live in Floresville, soil here in town is sandy. We have just a few pecan trees, but we'll be planting a few fruit and oaks. What could you recommend in the way of a nice looking, low to moderate water, average growing grass?
ANSWER : You can use seeded (in May) hybrid bermuda such as Cherokee or Sahara or sodded Floratam St. Augustine from Milberger Landscape Nursery (210-497-3757 or 1-800-445-2602) or Ambassador Turf Farm (210-633-2919 or 1-800-410-2919) in San Antonio.