Holiday Flora
If a person holds this plant with white berries over your head, it is traditional to give a kiss in return.
What is mistletoe?
Most spring-blooming bulbs like tulips and daffodils must be planted during this cool season.
What is fall?
This traditional green Christmas side dish grows in tight miniature heads along a thick stalk and tastes sweeter after a frost.
What is Brussel sprouts?
Thanks to its soft needles, strong branches, and long-lasting bluish-green color, this Abiesvariety is the most popular Christmas tree species in America.
What is the Fraser Fir? (Accept: Balsam Fir or Douglas Fir)
This popular indoor holiday plant is actually a tropical Brazilian epiphyte that blooms under short-day conditions in late autumn and winter.
What is a Christmas Cactus?
This red-and-green traditional Christmas plant is native to Mexico and named after an American diplomat.
What is a poinsettia?
Wrapping tender evergreen shrubs or roses in this breathable fabric protects them from harsh winter frost and ice.
What is burlap?
Often roasted alongside holiday dinners, this root vegetable comes in orange, yellow, and purple varieties and grows underground.
What is a carrot? (Or: What is a parsnip/beet?)
This sharp, prickly evergreen tree species features stiff, silvery needles and is highly popular as a living, potted Christmas tree.
What is the Blue Spruce?
These large, easy-to-grow flower bulbs are frequently forced indoors around Christmas to produce giant, showy trumpet-shaped blossoms.
What is an Amaryllis?
Also known as box holly, this prickly winter shrub produces bright red berries often used in holiday wreaths.
What is Holly?
Spreading a thick layer of organic material like straw or shredded leaves over garden beds insulates roots during freezing weather.
What is mulch?
This aromatic bulb relative of the onion is prized both for culinary flavoring and its reputation for warding off mythical vampires.
What is garlic?
Unlike deciduous trees that drop their leaves in autumn, Christmas trees fall into this broad botanical category of needle-bearing trees.
What are conifers?
Frankincense and Myrrh, two gifts of the Magi, are aromatic dried resins harvested from these specific types of woody plants native to the Middle East.
What are trees? (Accept: Boswellia and Commiphora trees/shrubs)
Ancient Celtic and Norse peoples believed this pale-berried plant growing on apple and oak trees had magical, healing properties
What is mistletoe? (Or: What is ivy?)
Gardeners perform this crucial maintenance task on deciduous fruit trees and perennial bushes after leaves drop in late autumn.
What is pruning?
Sweeteners for Christmas gingerbread cookies traditionally come from processing the juices of this tall tropical grass crop.
What is sugarcane?
This sticky, aromatic fluid flows through the trunk of a Christmas tree to seal wounds, but can easily ruin a holiday tablecloth.
What is resin? (Accept: Sap)
This white-flowering perennial, which blooms in late winter through the snow, is named after the Christian winter holiday despite actually being a hellebore.
What is a Christmas Rose? (Accept: Helleborus niger)
This trailing evergreen vine with star-shaped yellow-green flowers is traditionally woven into winter garlands and table centerpieces.
What is ivy?
This process of draining and insulating outdoor spigots and hoses prevents them from bursting in sub-zero temperatures.
What is winterization?
Spiced holiday ciders and baked goods frequently feature this aromatic inner bark spice harvested from tropical Cinnamomum trees.
What is cinnamon?
This specific chemical compound is produced by conifers to protect themselves against pests, giving Christmas trees their signature festive pine scent.
What are terpenes? (Accept: Pinene)
Also known as the Mexican flameleaf, the colored "petals" of the poinsettia are actually this type of modified leaf structure designed to attract pollinators to its tiny yellow center flowers.
What are bracts?