By BETTY J. MAGNAN, Master Gardener
The history of the Poinsettia begins in Mexico where they were cultivated by the Aztecs before Christianity came to the Western Hemisphere. It grew year round as a woody shrub, up to 10 feet high, blooming during the shorter days of winter. The poinsettia was prized by Aztec kings and was considered a symbol of purity because of its brilliant color. Montezuma, the last of the Aztec kings, would have poinsettias brought into what is now Mexico City by caravans because poinsettias could not be grown in the high altitude.
The Aztec name for this plant was cuetlaxochitl. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap was made into a preparation to treat fevers.
It is believed that the first use of the poinsettia for holidays was during the 17th century. Franciscan priests near Taxco used the flower in a nativity procession, the Fiesta of Santa Pesebre.
Joel Roberts Poinsett, Ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1829, was a botanist. He sent some of these plants in 1828 to his own greenhouses on his Greenville, S.C., plantation. From there he propagated the plants, sending them to friends and relatives.
Col. Robert Carr, owner of the famous Bartram Nursery of Philadelphia, was one of the recipients of Poinsett’s poinsettias. He introduced it into cultivation and trade in 1829 at an exhibition of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society.
Col. Carr later passed on a poinsettia plant to another friend, Robert Buist. Buist was responsible for introducing the plant to Europe. He was also the first person to have sold the plant under its botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima (meaning the most beautiful Euphorbia).
William Prescott, a historian and horticulturist, was asked to give Euphorbia pulcherrima a new name as it became more popular. At that time, Prescott had just published a book called the “Conquest of Mexico” in which he detailed Joel Poinsett’s discovery of the plant. Prescott named the plant the poinsettia in honor of Joel Poinsett’s discovery.
In the early 1900s the Ecke family of southern California grew poinsettias outdoors for use as landscape plants and as a cut flower. Eventually the family grew poinsettias in greenhouses and through their marketing efforts, the poinsettia has become symbolic with Christmas.
Originally only red in color, the poinsettias you find today may be in all shades. The traditional bestseller is ‘Freedom Red.’ For an elegant look there is ‘Whitestar’ a creamy color. ‘Monet’ has a pink background with splattered wine-colored markings around the edges of the bracts. Another bestseller is ‘Jingle Bells’ with the appearance of snow-kissed bracts. There are many more varieties available, each with their own unique look.
Tomi de Paola’s book, “The Legend of the Poinsettia” might give you another enjoyable, although non-historical, perspective on the popular holiday plant. The plant, along with the book, would be a wonderful gift to give or receive during this holiday season.
We can learn many things about home horticulture by exploring the new Master Gardener Web site www.extension.umn.edu/county/beltrami/mg/index.html. You can also read this article and previous archived ones. You can access University Extension information directly by going to www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo [3].