The Complete History of Poinsettias & Christmas
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The Complete History of Poinsettias & Christmas

Updated: August 25, 2024

Poinsettia is one of the most popular Christmas plants, along with mistletoe, holly, and balsam fir.

Every year, over 35 million poinsettias are sold in the United States alone. Furthermore, 80% of these plants are cultivated by just one company.

Poinsettia’s connection with Christmas doesn’t arise from the Bible – it comes from a 17th-century Mexican legend. And it wasn’t until the 19th century that Joel Roberts Poinsett popularized the plant nationwide.

Originally, poinsettias didn’t grow in pots – the indoor variety was cultivated by Paul Ecke, one of the fathers of poinsettia tradition.

Over time, poinsettia became a fundamental Christmas symbol, and December 12 is celebrated as National Poinsettia Day.

With proper care, you can see poinsettia’s green leaves turn bright red every year, experiencing a real miracle of nature.

The Legend of Poinsettia

Poinsettia became associated with Christmas only in the 17th century after a legend about a young girl named Pepita had spread around Mexico.

According to the poinsettia legend, Pepita was traveling to the chapel in her village on Christmas Eve.

Pepita was sad, as she had nothing to give as a gift to Jesus during the service. As she walked, Pepita met her cousin Pedro, who cheered her up by saying, “I’m sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him, will make Jesus Happy.”

But Pepita still didn’t know what to give, and so she picked a few weeds from the side of the road and made a small improvised bouquet from them.

At first, she was embarrassed, but then she remembered what Pedro told her and felt more cheerful. When Pepita came to the chapel, she kneeled next to the nativity scene and put the weeds at its bottom.

Everyone in the chapel was sure they had encountered a miracle, as weeds have magically turned into bright red flowers.

The flowers were called Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night. Today, we know them as poinsettia.

Poinsettia Early History

Before poinsettia became a deeply symbolic Christmas plant, it was known by its local name Cuetlaxochitl.

The plant is native to Mexico and has a long history of medicinal use by the Aztecs. Poinsettia was used to reduce fever and make red and purple fabric dyes.

Montezuma, who was the last Aztec emperor, was captivated by the plant. He would have caravans of it shipped to Teotihuacan, the capital city at that time.

In the 17th century, Mexican monks started using poinsettia in their nativity processions, perhaps, due to the symbolism they put in its look.

And as the legend of Pepita gained popularity at the same time, the plant became forever tied with Christmas. But the association was yet confined to the Mexico region.

Joel Roberts Poinsett

For the next two hundred years, poinsettia, or at that time, Cuetlaxochitl, was only known in Mexico and surrounding territories.

However, everything changed when a man named Joel Roberts Poinsett brought the shrub to the United States. As you may have guessed, the plant’s modern name was borrowed from the name of its popularizer.

Joel Roberts Poinsett was perfect proof of the saying, “a talented man is talented in everything.” Introducing poinsettia to the United States and the world wasn’t his only achievement.

He was also a US Ambassador to Mexico and a knowledgeable botanist who founded the Smithsonian Institute, active to this day.

In winter 1828, Poinsett took a working trip to Mexico following the order of President John Quincy Adams. While he was walking in the Mexican countryside, he became captivated by a beautiful, unfamiliar plant with bright red leaves.

As Poinsett was botanic, he was respectful to plants and didn’t just pull them off the ground. But he kept a greenhouse on his property in South Carolina and asked someone to ship him a shrub.

There, he studied and cultivated the plant. Of course, Poinsett couldn’t and didn’t want to keep the plants secret and started gifting them to friends and colleagues at Christmas time.

This was exactly the time when the leaves of poinsettia turned red, and it turned from a green shrub into an enchanting red flower. Soon, the word about poinsettia started to spread around Pennsylvania.

When it reached a nurseryman Robert Buist, he also began cultivating the plant and was the first to sell it under its botanical name, Euphorbia Pulcherrima.

Robert Buist, like Joel Robert Poinsett, helped to popularize poinsettia as a Christmas plant. It took poinsettia nearly ten years until it became a statewide phenomenon and another 70 to spread across the entire United States.

National Popularity of Poinsettia

Poinsettias remained reserved for the Pennsylvania state until the early 20th century. Perhaps, the reason for this was a suitable climate in the state.

Poinsettia at that time was sold as cut flowers. Thankfully, a man named Paul Ecke developed the first poinsettias that could be cultivated indoors in pots. As poinsettias became less demanding to growing conditions, Paul Ecke started selling them in California.

In 1923, his father, Albert Ecke, founded the company Ecke Ranch. Today, it cultivates nearly 80% of all plants sold in the United States and half of the plants sold worldwide.

Until 1980, Ecke Ranch had a monopoly on growing poinsettias in pots, as the method was developed by Paul Ecke himself. But a researcher John Dole discovered the technique and published it for public use, bringing in competition to the market.

The Ecke Ranch was run by Paul Ecke’s son and then grandson until 2012, remaining a family business despite its active expansion.

Paul Ecke Jr, the third generation of the Ecke family, has put a lot of effort into advancing the association of poinsettias with Christmas worldwide. Only in 2012 did he sell the company to a third party.

The plants became truly famous in the United States after they appeared on The Tonight Show and The Bob Hope Christmas Specials. These promotions made poinsettias an essential part of Christmas celebrations, just like mistletoe or Christmas tree.

Poinsettia Symbolism & Customs

Today, the poinsettia plant is widely associated with miracles, particularly due to the old Mexican legend about Pepita.

The shape of poinsettia leaves is sometimes thought to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem that led the Three Wise Men, also known as the Magi, to baby Jesus.

In a more gruesome interpretation, the red color of poinsettia’s flowers is associated with the blood of Christ and the white color of leaves with his purity.

Poinsettia is often considered a December birth flower, so it’s a perfect gift for anyone born in December. It’s believed to bring cheer, success and make wishes come true.

In the United States and Europe, poinsettias are rarely used in religious ceremonies. Instead, the plant is used to decorate homes. Live poinsettias are grown in pots, and artificial flowers can be commonly found on Christmas garlands and wreaths.

Unlike mistletoe or holy, poinsettias aren’t associated with any superstitions or special traditions. It’s just a beautiful plant that brings the Christmas spirit into any home.

Poinsettia Botanical Facts

Despite a common misconception, poinsettia’s red “flowers” aren’t flowers but bracts. The real poinsettia flowers are in the center of the bracts – these are the small greenish spheres that contain sweet nectar. The bracts were historically used to make fabric dye.

When poinsettia’s flowers or stems are cut, they produce a milky substance that can cause an allergic reaction in people with latex sensitivity. This substance was used by the Aztecs to treat fever and other health conditions.

Many sources claim that poinsettia is poisonous, but this isn’t true. This myth has spread due to a 1919 urban legend about a child who died after consuming a poinsettia leaf.

However, no other similar cases have been recorded since that day. One point to note is that poinsettia can indeed cause bowel irritation, especially in pets.

Although most of us envision poinsettia as a velvety-red flower, it comes in an array of colors. The palette is truly astonishing: red, bright pink, light pink, yellow, speckled, and double-colored.

While the red variety known as “Prestige Red” is the merriest of all, other poinsettia species are no less beautiful and deserve more recognition.

Purple, in turn, is not a natural color for poinsettia. Purple or blue poinsettias sold in stores are usually yellow or pink poinsettias sprayed with dye.

Sometimes, you may also come across plants covered in glitter. This may not be the healthiest way to treat a poinsettia, but it’s certainly beautiful.

A healthy poinsettia should have dark green foliage, though lighter varieties, such as pink and yellow, may have light foliage. The leaves shouldn’t be dropping. A healthy plant can keep its coloration until the end of March.

Poinsettias don’t like excessive moisture and should be watered moderately. Never allow the water to sit in the pot. With proper care, you can enjoy poinsettia’s miracle every year on Christmas!

Sources

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