Poinsettias have long been associated with Christmas, with their cheerful bright red star-shaped leaves decking the halls of many a church, shopping area and home. While these plants appear in abundance in the north during the cold dark days of December, they are actually native to warm, sunny parts far south and found growing wild in parts of Mexico and Central America. This hallmark of the holidays was first cultivated by the Aztecs centuries ago to use for textile dyes, skin infection remedies and medicine to reduce fever – far from the decorative uses of today. As legend has it, the plant’s connection to Christmas dates as far back to the 16th century when a Mexican child, with nothing else to give, gathered the roadside flowers as a gift to place at a church altar on Christmas eve.
Fast forward to the 1820s, when botanist and first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Robert Poinsett began sending the plants from Mexico to his greenhouses in South Carolina. He grew and cultivated the plant primarily for his own pleasure, giving them to family and friends as gifts. One of those friends, botanist Robert Buist, exhibited the plant at the Philadelphia Flower Show of 1829, where it gained recognition in the plant world. Mr. Buist named it Euphorbia Poinsettia to honor his friend, and by 1836 the plants had become commonly known as poinsettia in the U.S. and Europe. In Mexico and Central America the plant remained known as Flor de Nochebuena, the Christmas Eve Flower. In the 19th century, the Vatican began decorating with poinsettias for Christmas, and other Catholic churches soon followed, increasing their popularity as a Christmas decoration.
By the twentieth century, the poinsettia had become the most economically important decorative plant in the U.S., due to one family in California. Albert Ecke, a German immigrant, moved to Los Angeles and began selling the plants in roadside stands. His son later developed the technique of grafting the plants to improve their look, longevity and health. The family soon held about 100 patents for the modification of the poinsettia. When Albert’s grandson, Paul Ecke, Jr., took over the business in 1963, the poinsettia’s association with the Christmas holiday was greatly enhanced, thanks to his creative marketing and distribution methods. Every holiday he shipped free poinsettias to the White House, local television stations across the country, the Tonight Show and Bob Hope’s Christmas specials to decorate their sets. Soon the cheerful plants were seen by millions of households across the country. From 1923 to the 1990s this family was the primary producer of the holiday plant, utilizing grafting techniques known only to themselves. By the 1980s others discovered their method of successful grafting, and within a decade the business became more competitive. The Ecke family is still the largest supplier of “mother plants” sold to commercial growers. Today, approximately 70 million poinsettias are sold annually throughout the U.S. during a six-week period, bringing in more than $250 million dollars. In 2002, Congress formally recognized December 12th as National Poinsettia Day to honor Mr. Poinsett, who died on this date in 1851.
The pretty potted plants, with their bushy foliage and variety of colors bear little resemblance to the wild wispy shrub that grows as tall as 10 feet high in its native environment. Years of development and hybridizing have resulted in the popular holiday plant we know and love today. The leaves, which are called bracts and often mistaken for flowers, vary in color from the common flame red to shades of pink, cream, pale green and variegated varieties. With all these colors to choose from, red remains the most popular, accounting for about 70% of sales. The actual flower of the poinsettia, called cyathia, are the yellow bumps in the center of the leaf formations.
When ready to purchase these cheery delights, look for plants that have a lot of yellow cyathia. If there are few or none, the plant is close to its demise. Also make sure the lower leaves are not yellow or dropping off. Once purchased, get it home as quickly as possible, as they do not do well in cold temperatures. When home, check the soil and give it a good watering if needed. Soil should remain moist, but not wet. Taking the foil wrapping off the plants can help ensure proper drainage, so they don’t sit in a puddle of water. After that, place them in any location, sit back and enjoy!
Happy Holidays!