2004 OSU/OFA Poinsettia Cultivar Trials PART I   CONSUMER EVALUATIONS By Claudio Pasian,  Steve Carver  and  Monica Kmetz-González Tables 1 and Table 2 present the results of the 2004 OSU/OFA Consumer Poinsettia Evaluation. In this issue of OHIO FLORICULTURE On Line , we are providing you with a summary of the results in tabular form and allowing you to draw your own observations. In a future issue, we will share our observations. We will also present results of the grower evaluations and a summary of the cultural conditions under which the poinsettias were produced. Here are some quick points to help understand the parameters of the consumer portion of the evaluation. We asked each of the suppliers for their newest cultivars, i.e. nothing that has been in the trade for more than two years. Each supplier was allowed to include two older cultivars for comparative purposes. The plants were grown at four locations around Ohio: AJ Rahn Greenhouses in Cincinnati; Barco & Sons Inc. in Medina; Bostdorff Greenhouse Acres in Bowling Green; and Dill’s Greenhouse in Columbus. One plant of each cultivar was shipped to the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University and placed in the Howlett Hall greenhouse. From December 4 through December 6, the horticulture honorary student society (PAX) held its annual poinsettia sale in the Howlett Hall headhouse. We “borrowed” these poinsettia buyers to evaluate the new cultivars. We asked them to rate the cultivars in two ways. First, we asked them to rate each cultivar (four plants of each cultivar grouped together) on a 1 to 5 scale, with “1” = do not like the cultivar and “5” = like it a lot. This rating scheme allows for positive and negative feelings for each cultivar. Results are given in Table 1 . Second, we asked participants to tell – of the 51 cultivars that we had, which were their three favorites. That is, which three (maximum) they would buy on an impulse if they found them while shopping. This rating scheme allowed for only positive feelings to be expressed and resulted in a different ordering of favorites, see Table 2 .