It's one of the most popular plants in the world, with annual sales of ~90m units and a global retail impact of nearly $1B. Check out our post on National Poinsettia Day, including fun and festive ways to celebrate the day! With proper care, poinsettias stay beautiful throughout the holiday season. [23] Contact with any part of the plant by children or pets often has no effect, though it may cause nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting if swallowed. Euphorbia pulcherrima, the botanical name, or poinsettia as we call it is native to Mexico and Guatemala in Central America. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Merry and Bright: 8 Jolly Christmas Plants, https://www.britannica.com/plant/poinsettia, Clemson Cooperative Extension - Home and Garden Information Center - Poinsettia, University of Minnesota Extension - Growing and caring for poinsettia, Texas A&M University - Homeculture Update - Poinsettias, National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Poinsettia protoplasts - a simple, robust and efficient system for transient gene expression studies, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Horticulture and Home Pest News - Guide to Selection and Care of Poinsettias, poinsettia - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), poinsettia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). There is a nice legend associated with it. The poinsettia is a native plant of Mexico and originated in a rather limited region near present day Taxco. What is the Aztec name for poinsettia? poinsettia, (Euphorbia pulcherrima), well-known member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), commonly sold as an ornamental at Christmastime. That pop of floral color in everyone's home means the holidays are right around the corner. And the poinsettia, also known as the Christmas plant, became a symbol of Christmastime in the 16th century in its native lands now known as Mexico. Poinsettia | Description, Flower, Christmas, Poisonous, & Facts They didn't become traditional. It was also a flower used by Catholics as proof that Indians should be forcibly converted (which is part of a legend). Positioned in the planet's northern and western hemispheres the Central America isthmus is bordered in the northwest by the country of Mexico, and in the southeast by the country of Colombia. Populations were once found in rolling hill areas, though many have gone extinct. University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer. document.getElementById("eeb-998483-568343").innerHTML = eval(decodeURIComponent("%27%69%6e%66%6f%40%62%61%72%74%72%61%6d%73%67%61%72%64%65%6e%2e%6f%72%67%27"))*protected email*. Always the Holidays (RJS & CGS Enterprises LLC) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Put the plant in bright, indirect light, and do not overwater, Trinklein said. Thomas Say sent over a hundred varieties of seeds from Mexico, of my own collecting in a letter to Robert Carr dated July 23, 1828. Holidays are my favorite times of the year, because there's no feeling like celebrating with friends and family. Mexico outlawed slavery in 1820. When shopping for a poinsettia, look for leaves and bracts that do not show any wilting, which could indicate root problems, Trinklein said. It blooms in the depths of winter in the mountains of Central Europe. Poinsettias were brought from Mexico to the United States through way of South Carolina by Joel Roberts Poinsett. As part of his mission to expand cooperation between the two countries, Poinsett shipped plants and seeds between Mexico and the United States. Poinsettia plants are native to Central America regions, from southern Guatemala to Mexico. Populations can be up to several hundred individuals, but this is not typical. [38] The discovery of the role phytoplasmas play in the growth of axillary buds is credited to Ing-Ming Lee of the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He first served as a special envoy to Mexico in 1822-1823, and when the new Mexican Republic was recognized in 1824, Poinsett was first U. S. Minister Plenipotentiary. A. You may be surprised to know that poinsettias are not actually flowers! The Legend of the Poinsettia as a Christmas Plant Poinsettia Flower Meaning, Symbolism of Each Color and Uses - GrowingVale If in doubt, it's better to keep poinsettias a little . in . How Joel Poinsett, the Namesake for the Poinsettia, Played a Role in In nature, the lengthening nights of late September and October trigger poinsettias to flower, Trinklein said. The benefactor of the Smithsonian, James Smithson left his estate of $508,318 (which today is the equivalent of about $15 million) to create under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.. Although it's probably not a good idea to have a competitive-eating contest with poinsettia bracts since they could cause diarrhea, research has shown that a child could consume as many as 500 poinsettia bracts without any toxic effects [source: Perry].A tot who accidentally nibbles on a leaf may not . Discover the legend of the poinsettia! The Ecke family of southern California began growing Why are the leaves on a poinsettia plant red? 1. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Its relatively easy to tell when a poinsettia needs water, Trinklein said. The plant now known as poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is native to the pacific coast of Mexico and has an ancient history of human use. Make sure you check out our posts on the traditions of Christmas greenery and the history of mistletoe if this topic interests you. In addition, it's bordered by the Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean, and numerous bays, gulfs and inlets. Biography of Joel Roberts Poinsett Buist had trained at the Edinburgh garden, and he returned to Scotland in 1831 to acquire stock for his new nursery business. Oleander ( Nerium oleander ), also known as rose bay, is native to the Mediterranean region eastward to India and southern China. When did poinsettias originate? This Is Why Poinsettias Are the Official Christmas Flower - Reader's Digest He also appeared on television programs like The Tonight Show and Bob Hope's Christmas specials to promote the plants. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Christmas flowers - Wikipedia Skin exposure to the sap may cause itchiness, redness, or swelling. How did a tropical plant become an unlikely symbol of the Christmas holiday? Its natural habitat is thus highly fragmented, particularly near metropolitan areas such as Taxco. Poinsettias are also one of the two birth flowers of December (the other is Narcissus). The ancient Aztecs called them 'cuetlaxochitl'. To promote poinsettias as a Christmas plant, he sent thecrimson-leavedplants to TV studios across the country, including The Tonight Show and Bob Hopes holiday specials. Which country gave the US its first poinsettia plant? [9] Cultivation in the US began when diplomat Joel Roberts Poinsett sent some of the plants back to his greenhouses in South Carolina in the 1820s. Now, thereason blazing red (and now pink, white, orange, plus combinations of these colors) poinsettias are the Christmas flowerin the United States is an accidental discovery by Joel Roberts Poinsett (17791851), an American statesman and the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1828. Overwatering is a common cause of death, so water only when the soil is dry and don't let the plant sit in water. Poinsettia Care: How to Take Care of Poinsettia Flowers - Almanac.com What is the poinsettia called in Central America? Countries by Continent: American Countries - Nations Online Project Poinsett was Secretary of War and loathed Indigenous Americans, helping to force them westwards which is ironic since this plant is native to the Americas and was so important in Indian history. The young gardener, Robert Buist, returned to Europe in 1831 and found the scarlet flower was unknown. They are grouped within the cyathia (small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, or false flowers). If the plant sits on a saucer, empty it after the pot drains following watering. Water left sitting in a saucer can wick up into the root zone and keep it overly wet. Facts About Poinsettias - Learn the Poinsettia Meaning, History, Origin In their native region of southern Mexico, poinsettias flower during the winter season. Below are some of our favorite plant themednational days: If you love trivia and want to learn more facts about all kinds of things, make sure you head to our fun facts section. It was named for Joel R. Poinsett, who popularized the plant and introduced it to floriculture while he was U.S. minister to Mexico in the late 1820s. Would you like a reminder of these poinsettia facts? An amateur botanist, Poinsett saw the red flowers when visiting the Mexican town of Taxco in the state of Guerrero, shortly before he was thrown out of the country for trying to buy Texas from the Mexicans for a million dollars! Each year millions of live potted plants are cultivated and shipped across much of the world for a six-week Christmas season, only to be thrown away in January. Intolerant of the cold, in the North, it is grown almost exclusively indoors. Poinsettias ( Euphorbia pulcherrima) do need special care to keep bloomingand can be kept year after year to rebloom, if you give them proper care. The plants can be kept as houseplants, though they require specific care in order to trigger the bracts to change colour and bloom again the following year. Poinsettias prefer moist, well-drained soils with a soil pH between 5.5 and 6.5. This international symbol of winter cheer was first successfully grown outside its Mexican homeland by Robert and Ann Bartram Carr at the Bartrams Garden in Philadelphia. Though she was embarrassed by her small gift, as she walked to the nativity scene, she kept thinking of what her cousin said. Shop for plants or grow food, trees, and more. what is the poinsettia called in central america You're kissing under a parasite and other fun facts about your favorite Custom programming and server maintenance by Reinvented Inc. The poinsettia flowered in Edinburgh for the first time in the spring of 1835, but imperfectly. In Mexico, the poinsettia is called "flores de nochebuena," which translates as flowers of the Holy Night. It is said to resemble the Star of Bethlehem, which led the three wise men to Jesus. Gill: Why do we call the Christmas flower a Poinsettia Poinsettias are the best selling potted plant in the United States. Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service. How can you ignore the fact that it is rooted in Aztec history, specifically? It is native to the countries of Mexico and Guatemala. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. 2023Yankee Publishing, Inc., An Employee-Owned Company The poinsettia was made widely known because of a man named Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was the first Ambassador from the USA to Mexico in 1825. [5] This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf. The plant bears dark green dentate leaves that measure 716 centimetres (2.86.3in) in length. In Spain, Puerto Rico, and other Central America countries it's known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Christmas Flower. In 1970 the US Food and Drug Administration published a newsletter stating erroneously that "one poinsettia leaf can kill a child", and in 1980 they were prohibited from nursing homes in a county in North Carolina due to this supposed toxicity. In fact, it provides 80% of the poinsettias in the United States, and about 50% of the worlds supply of poinsettias! Genetic analyses showed that the wild populations in northern Guerrero are the likely ancestors of most cultivated poinsettias. Poinsettias At Christmas - Why Are They The Flower Of - Interflora Poinsett's Early Diplomacy. Like most native products flowers fruits and the like are known today with English names as is the custom since people like Poinsett saw the flower and introduced in the US and the rest is part of the folclore. Poinsett found in Mexico an exotic plant that blooms red, pointy leaves not petals during winter. Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America where they grow into 10-foot-tall shrubs. Between 1833 and 1836 the poinsettia went through a rapid series of scientific names as it was described and published in the US and Europefirst Pleuradena coccinea, then Poinsettia pulcherima, and finally Euphorbia pulcherima. Updated. Here you'll find recipes and craft projects to make your holidays even more special. Please add the Indigenous history of the Cuetlaxochitl before Ambassador Pointsett introduced it in the US. When she placed the bouquet down, it changed into beautiful red poinsettias. . Where Are poinsettias from originally? - WittyQuestion.com In reply to This is such a limited by Lauren Tartaglia (not verified). This is such a limited history. [32], Until the 1990s, the Ecke family, who had moved their operation to Encinitas, California, in 1923, had a virtual monopoly on poinsettias owing to a technique that made their plants much more attractive. Look up! . Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. Place the plant in the soil at the same depth it was growing in the container. Cuetlaxochitl: the origin of the Poinsettia. The Christmas flower, also called the poinsettia flower and the poinsettia plant, is native to southern Mexico and Central America. Check out our Christmas quotes video on YouTube. In 2002, an Act of Congress made it official. White poinsettias symbolize Christs purity. The Countries That Make Up Central America. Poinsettias, just like most members of the Euphorbiaceae plant family, do not like wet soil, he said. National Poinsettia Day Poinsettia Colors, Symbolism, Facts & more! In Mexico, the poinsettia is known as Flor de Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve Flower. Native to Mexico, the plant is called Flor de la Noche Buena (Flower of the Holy Night) due to its resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem. At present there is evidence that four different collections of seeds and plants were sent from Mexico to Bartrams Garden in Philadelphia in the period 1828-1829. By the way, the showy red parts of Poinsettia plants are not the flowers; rather, they are modified leaves known as bracts. It is humid and consists of swamp lands. You may also see it written as La Flor de la Nochebuena, which means Flower of Christmas Eve. [16][17] Triterpenes are found in aerial part of this plant including latex and leaves. You may also see it written as La Flor de la Nochebuena, which means Flower of Christmas Eve. Poinsettias arent always red! North America: View of the Milky Way over Echo Lake in Colorado. They are named after the first U.S. Minister to Mexico Joel Poinsett, who introduced the plant to. All content on this site is Carol G Speake (Always The Holidays) unless otherwise stated. The popularity of the poinsettia as a Christmas flower is due, in large part, to the Ecke family. What appear to be petals are actually coloured leaflike bracts that surround a central cluster of tiny yellow flowers. The winter-blooming plant was used for medicinal purposes (from its sap) and as a source of red . Guatemala is the largest country by population, with almost 18 million inhabitants. It's a perennial shrub that was once considered a weed and will grow 10 to 15 feet tall in the wild. They became associated with the Christmas holiday and are popular seasonal decorations. Even if you have a limited holiday decorating budget . [32], Poinsettias are susceptible to several diseases, mostly fungal, but also bacterial and parasitic. b. la flor de Nochebuena. Categories Christmas, Fun Facts, Holidays. Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Aztecs of central Mexico cultivated the plant and called it Cuetlaxochitl. He first became involved in archaeological research at Bartrams Garden in 1975, and has participated in a number of archaeological and historic research projects at the garden site since. Poinsettias come in over 100 different varieties, and the poinsettia meaning changes depending on the color of the plant. [28] From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations. Poisonous plants in your Florida garden: Six deadly species to know Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The farthest away from the sea one can be is 125 miles. Just be sure that cold temperatures in your area don't drop below 45 degrees . The poinsettia may have remained a regional plant for many years to come had it not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779 1851). [8] Carr described it as "a new Euphorbia with bright scarlet bracts or floral leaves, presented to the Bartram Collection by Mr. Poinsett, United States Minister of Mexico. Though often stated to be highly toxic, the poinsettia is not dangerous[4] to pets or children. The Christmas Eve Flower: Poinsettias in Hispanic Culture Poinsettia: Indoor Plant Care & Growing Guide - The Spruce As they were walking, she picked a bunch of weeds growing by the side of the road and fashioned them into a bouquet. Water well and place the newly-potted plant in front of the brightest window you have, and once again keep it at a temperature of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, Poinsettias are not only the most popular Christmas plant, but the best-selling potted plant in the United States and Canada, contributingover $250 million to the U.S. economy at the retail level. Many of these poinsettias are grown by Paul Ecke Ranch, which serves half the worldwide market and 70 percent of the US market. 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard Most wild populations are on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. B. Hans Yodeler. The History of Poinsettias at Christmas - WhyChristmas.com [40], In the late 1980s, university researcher John Dole[41] discovered the method previously known only to the Eckes and published it, allowing competitors to flourish, particularly those using low-cost labor in Latin America. They form a circle around a cluster of small yellow flowers on the plant. He resided in Mexico from 1825 to early 1830. Corrections? As of 2012, wild poinsettias were not protected by Mexican law. The poinsettia's small flowers are surrounded by colorful leaves called bracts. ), It has long been the story that Poinsett personally introduced the poinsettia first to Charleston, bringing the plant on his return from Mexico, and from there it was discovered or sent to the Carrs in Philadelphia. In Spain, Puerto Rico, and Central America, it is known as the Easter Flower. In their native environment, poinsettias grow like a shrub and can reach heights of up to 15ft tall. You may also see it written as La Flor de la Nochebuena, which means Flower of Christmas Eve. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are popular potted plants, particularly during the Christmas season. If ingested, mild drooling or vomiting can occur, or rarely, diarrhea. Poinsettia - Wikipedia Uncover the interconnected stories of thishistoric site. In their native region of southern Mexico, poinsettias flower during the winter season. The newer Poinsettia cultivars are long-lasting in contrast to the cultivars that were available a few years ago.