Different colors are the result of chance mutations from the original red.. Populations were once found in rolling hill areas, though many have gone extinct. December 12, 2023. It is actually the plant's leaves that provide its color through a process called photoperiodism. His father was a prominent physician and as a boy, Poinsett was educated by his father and private tutors. It was introduced to the United States in 1828 and got its name from Joel Roberts Poinsett. Infection by poinsettia branch-inducing phytoplasma is actually desirable, as it keeps the plants shorter with more flowers. What is a poinsettia called in South America? Many new poinsettia colors are not the result of plant breeding. [37][11][12], To produce extra axillary buds that are necessary for plants containing multiple flowers, a phytoplasma infectionwhose symptoms include the proliferation of axillary budsis used. Nicknamed Mr. Poinsettias are popular at Christmas for two reasons: being heavily advertised on television during this time, and also because of the Mexican legend about the origin of the poinsettia. The plant eventually inherited its common name poinsettia to honor Joel Roberts Poinsett. [11][12] The colors of the bracts are created through photoperiodism, meaning that they require darkness (at least fourteen hours at a time for 68 weeks in a row) to change color. just read the article [30], Poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations[31] in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America, as a result of an extensive marketing campaign by the Ecke family that began by shipping free poinsettias to television stations for use on-air. Would you like a reminder of these poinsettia facts? This comes from the poinsettia story featuring a little girl named Pepita based off a Mexican legend. BONUS: Youll also receive our freeBeginner GardeningGuide! In the early 1830s Robert Buist began sending plants or cuttings of poinsettia to Europe, and particularly to his friend James McNab at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. As Christmas is quickly approaching, its the perfect time to talk about poinsettias. The poinsettia (/pnst(i)/;[1][2][3] Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae. Choosing the anniversary of Poinsetts death for National Poinsettia Day serves as a reminder of his contribution to making poinsettias available to the United States. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." National Poinsettia Day on December 12 also forms a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Mexico. The poinsettia is said to have been used by . It's a perennial shrub that was once considered a weed and will grow 10 to 15 feet tall in the wild. This was the first public show of the PHS, a tradition continued today as the Philadelphia Flower Show. [18][19][20][21] One of the triterpenoid skeleton is investigated as foundation to drugs for Alzheimer's disease. When did poinsettias originate? Central America is very narrow. The poinsettia is native to the tropical areas of southern Mexico and Central America, where it grows as a small tree. The Mexican poinsettia, known as the Christmas Flower in North America, is used in most Christmas decorations, owing to its bright red color and its blooming season coinciding with the Christmas holiday season. Poinsettias get their American name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who brought them to the states from Mexico in the early 1800s. Though Arnold later admitted that the story was hearsay and that poinsettias were not proven to be poisonous, the plant was thus thought deadly. And while we now take for granted the connection of poinsettias and Christmas, it would take a while for nurserymen to reliably flower the new scarlet plant in time for the early winter holidays. While poinsettias with red bracts remain the most popular, they also come in creamy white, shades of pink and orange, marbled in pink and white, and with pink flecks on red. noun. Every year, just after Thanksgiving, it emerges en masse at nurseries, big-box retailers, fundraisers, and holiday parties. Poinsettias are native to Central America, specifically a region in Southern Mexico called Taxco de Alcaron. In nature, the lengthening nights of late September and October trigger poinsettias to flower, Trinklein said. . Visions of Grandeur. In their native environment, poinsettias grow like a shrub and can reach heights of up to 15ft tall. Poinsettia is the plant's common name. Mexico; "Poinsettia" was the name of . They are named after the first U.S. Minister to Mexico Joel Poinsett, who introduced the plant to. It is the first known phytoplasma that has economically advantageous effects. It is only fair. If the soil feels clammy or moist, wait before adding more water. Poinsett was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in early 1827, and this seems to have cemented his connection with the Philadelphia scientific community and with Bartrams Garden .In early 1828, William Maclure, a longtime friend of Poinsett, and Thomas Say, a Bartram nephew, travelled to Mexico, visiting Vera Cruz and Mexico City. In 2002, an Act of Congress made it official. In fact, it provides 80% of the poinsettias in the United States, and about 50% of the worlds supply of poinsettias! Euphorbia Pulcherrima, also known as Poinsettia, Christmas Flower, Winter Rose, Christmas Star, or Mexican Flame Leaf, is a species of perennial shrubs or small trees in the Euphorbiaceae family. The real tragedy of this limited history is that we have adopted the name, poinsettia, that was conferred on the plant by the so-called American statesman who was asked by the Mexican government to leave the country. The Christmas flower, also called the poinsettia flower and the poinsettia plant, is native to southern Mexico and Central America. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. 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. What appear to be flower petals are actually leaves (called bracts). Specific details about its spread from there are largely unverifiable, but it was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's 1829 Philadelphia Flower Show by Colonel Robert Carr. Poinsettias are also called Flores de la Noche Buena or Flowers of the Holy Night. [36] There are over 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia that have been patented in the US. The plant now known as poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is native to the pacific coast of Mexico and has an ancient history of human use. by. They didn't become traditional. Congress passed a bill in 2002 making December 12, National Poinsettia Day (which is also the anniversary of Joel Roberts Poinsetts death). Robert Buist, a Philadelphia nurseryman, remembered seeing the first poinsettia roots unpacked at Bartrams Garden in 1828: On my arrival in this country from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, in 1828, I paid a visit to the famed Bartram Botanic Garden, and there saw two cases of plants which had just arrived from Mexico. Discover the legend of the poinsettia! 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How did a tropical plant become an unlikely symbol of the Christmas holiday? In Spain, Puerto Rico, and other Central America countries it's known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Christmas Flower. Its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima, meaning "very beautiful." John Bartram of Pennsylvania, the father of the American nursery industry, was the first to sell poinsettias under their botanical name. You can skip fertilizer or plant food, Trinklein said. Central America The poinsettia flower is native to Central America - specifically, an area in southern Mexico called "Taxco del Alarcon" - and the plants were used by the ancient Aztecs to make a purple dye for clothing and cosmetics. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are popular potted plants, particularly during the Christmas season. Add to your knowledge of poinsettias by checking out these facts about poinsettias below. They brought back artifacts to display in Washington, DC (in what is now part of the Smithsonian). Lauren, regardless of where a flower was discovered or has possibly been used to divine a purpose dictated from someones heart, has nothing to do with the poinsettia that was created as a thing of beauty. The botanical name for Poinsettias is Euphorbia pulcherrima, which literally means the most beautiful Euphorbia. At the time of sale, the plants growth period is over, so its need for nutrients is minimal. The third largest continent on Earth covers an area of 24.7 million km (9.5 million sq mi) and is situated in Earth's western hemisphere. Feb. 16, 2023, Publication date: They are grouped within the cyathia (small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, or false flowers). Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Like many of America's Thanksgiving staples, the poinsettia. Poinsettia fire - the poinsettia fire was the second most destructive of the may 2022 san diego county wildfires. Genetic analyses showed that the wild populations in northern Guerrero are the likely ancestors of most cultivated poinsettias. 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. Contents 1 Description 2 Christmas tradition 3 Creation of the American poinsettia industry 4 Cultivation 4.1 Diseases 5 Rumoured toxicity 6 References 7 External links Description Some may surprise you! Poinsettias are the best selling potted plant in the United States. 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. I am a history-lover and will do more research on my own, but can you share your sources, or is your comment based on oral histories passed down through generations? Take a close look at the cyathia as well. It is native to Mexico and Central America with a few very interesting meanings and symbolism. In mid-May, do the following: Cut the stems back to about four inches and repot your poinsettia into a slightly larger container filled with new potting soil. Cultivated varieties are available with white, pink, mottled, and striped bracts, but the solid red varieties, in several shades, remain in greatest demand during the Christmas season. In the wild, poinsettia plants are native to the Pacific coastline of southwestern Mexico and Guatemala. This day honors both of the men who made this beautiful flower so popular in the United States. 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. ), 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. California remainsthe top U.S. poinsettia-producing state. [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. To get off to a good start, protect your new plant from cold temperatures and chilling winds on the way home from the store. Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. It blooms in the depths of winter in the mountains of Central Europe. 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. National Poinsettia Day Poinsettia Colors, Symbolism, Facts & more! She was very poor so all she could do was picka bouquet of weeds to offer. dszc / E+ Collection via Getty Images The demand for live poinsettias faces increasing criticism for being wasteful. If your poinsettia is wrapped in decorative foil, make sure there is a drain hole in the foil. 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. No fertilizer is needed while the plant is in bloom. As they were walking, she picked a bunch of weeds growing by the side of the road and fashioned them into a bouquet. (F) [27] Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became poinsettias. Corrections? Among the contents were the stumps of a strange-looking Euphorbia, which, after a few months growth, showed some very brilliant crimson bracts. (The young Buist soon built a very successful career on the new scarlet plant, and as a result he was credited with the introduction of the poinsettia to Europe in 1834.).