Americas favorite
holiday flower has its own special day of recognition. National
Poinsettia Day is Dec. 12. This day was jointly designated
by Congress and the floral industry to celebrate the history
of the poinsettia. And a rich history it is, too.
Native to the area of present day Taxco in Mexico, the poinsettia had a following long before Christmas and Christianity. Called cuetlaxochitl (que-tlax-o-chi-tl), it was used as a symbol of purity. People brought it off the hillsides and into cultivation and subsequently traded it.
When the Aztecs moved into central Mexico, they too fell in love with the vibrant contrasting colors of poinsettias. Before the conquistadors destroyed the extensive botanical gardens just outside the Aztec capitol city, the poinsettias in bloom were some of the more popular showpieces in the gardens. The bloom was a special treat, because poinsettias die at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Ancient Aztec gardeners worked hard to protect the tender plants.
The poinsettia is not just another pretty face, either. The bracts can be used to make a delightful reddish-purple dye. The natives used this to dye their cotton and also wool made from dog hair. All parts of the plant also contain latex, which was made into a febrifuge (fever reducer). A low-quality rubber can also be made from the latex.
It is somewhat ironic that the early Christian priests discouraged the use of the “pagan” poinsettia. Since it was a fussy plant to grow, they mainly succeeded in eradicating poinsettia cultivation in the warmer Nahuatl lands. Then, in the 17th Century, Franciscan priests built a mission near Taxco. They were dazzled by the brilliant red flower that bloomed mid-winter, wild on the hillsides. When the locals used the flowers in the Fiesta de Santa Pesebre, a nativity procession, the priests began a story to explain the bright winter flowers. In the story, a little girl had nothing but a weed bouquet to offer at the church altar, but as she laid her humble gift down, it turned into the brilliant Flores de Noche Buena, flowers of the holy night.
The poinsettia was “discovered” by North Americans after a wealthy Southern plantation owner became the first United States ambassador to Mexico (1825-1829). Joel Poinsett sent cuttings back to his plantation near Greenville, S.C., where they were nurtured in his greenhouse and shared with horticultural friends. While the common name remembers Poinsett, the scientific name had already been designated “Euphorbia pulcherrima.” “Poinsettia” remains the common name throughout most of the world.
The poinsettia may have remained a flower for wealthy dilettantes with greenhouses, were it not for the hard work of a German immigrant, Albert Ecke, and his family. In a real Horatio Alger-style story, the family migrated to California where they grew vegetables and sold them from pushcarts along Sunset Boulevard, working hard to make ends meet. Meanwhile, poinsettias had long since escaped from the Spanish missions and were growing wild, as weeds, on California hillsides. One Ecke son added a few of the colorful “weeds” as fresh cut flowers to his vegetable offerings. The scarlet blooms sold so well the family started raising fields of them. Ecke family greenhouses now cover 35 acres and distribute millions of ready-to-grow cuttings to poinsettia growers in more than 50 countries.
The demand for poinsettias is great. In America alone, more than 12 million plants retailed last year. The demand is fueled by the breeding efforts of the Ecke family. The once scarlet bracts have now been bred into a plethora of color choices, ranging from white to pink to dappled red and white to snow-sprinkled red. It is amazing what careful selection can bring about in a few short years. The Poinsettia Growers Association is one of the horticulture industry’s most focused and dynamic professional organizations.
Official disclaimer: The poinsettia “flower” isn’t really a flower. The tiny green and yellow flowers are surrounded by colored leaves technically called “bracts,” a word that comes from the same word as “brackets.” These bracts are what many think of as the flowers. For readers’ ease, I have referred to the whole combination of bracts and flowers as “flowers.”
Bracts or flowers, the whole plant is a charming addition to home or office during the holiday season. You could save your poinsettia plants and get them to rebloom next year — with a great deal of fussing and care. But new plants cost about the same as a bouquet of flowers (though they last longer), so just let the old ones go to the great compost heap in the sky and get new ones next year. But do celebrate National Poinsettia Day with a bright and cheerful holiday plant or two.
|
Select a Florist
