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The Christmas Flower
History, facts and tips for caring for your poinsettia.
By mySeniorSite staff
The plant we know today as the poinsettia has a long and interesting history. The fact is, that lovely plant you place in your home during the holidays was once used as a fever medicine!
Native to Central America, the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon. The ancient Aztecs had a name for this plant found blooming in the tropical highlands during the short days of winter:
"cuetlaxochitl." Not merely decorative, the Aztecs put the plant to practical use. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap, today called latex, was made into a preparation to treat fevers.
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).
The son of a French physician, Poinsett was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825 - 1829) by President Madison. Poinsett had attended medical school himself, but his real love in the scientific field was botany. (Mr. Poinsett later founded the institution which we know today as the
Smithsonian Institution).
Poinsett maintained his own hothouses on his Greenville, South Carolina plantations, and while visiting the Taxco area in 1828, he became enchanted by the brilliant red blooms he saw there. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he
began propagating the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens.
Among the recipients of Poinsett's work was John Bartram of Philadelphia, who in turn gave the plant over to another friend, Robert Buist, a Pennsylvania nurseryman. Mr. Buist is thought to be the first person to have sold the plant under its botanical name,
Euphorbia pulcherrima (literally, "the most beautiful Euphorbia"). Though it is thought to have become known by its more popular name of poinsettia around 1836, the origin of the name is certainly clear!
Poinsettia Facts
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Poinsettias are native to Mexico.
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The Aztecs called the poinsettia
Cuetlayochitl.
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Chile and Peru called the poinsettia the
"Crown of the Andes."
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Poinsettias are part of the Euphorbiaceae
family. Many plants in this family ooze a milky sap.
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In nature, poinsettias are a perennial
flowering shrubs that can grow to ten feet tall.
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The showy colored part of poinsettias
that most people think are the flowers are actually
colored bracts (modified leaves).
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The flowers or cyathia of the poinsettia
are in the center of the colorful bracts.
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Poinsettias have been called the lobster
flower and flame leaf flower.
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Poinsettias are not poisonous.
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A fresh poinsettia is one on which little
or no yellow pollen is showing on the flower clusters in
the center of the bracts.
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Poinsettias represent over 85 percent of
the potted plant sales during the holiday season.
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Ninety percent of all poinsettias are
exported from the United States.
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Poinsettias were introduced into the
United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett.
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California is the top poinsettia
producing state.
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Ninety per cent of all the flowering
poinsettias in the world got their start at the Paul
Ecke Ranch in the United States.
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There are over 100 varieties of
poinsettias available.
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$300 million worth of poinsettias are
sold during the holiday season.
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Eighty percent of poinsettias are
purchased by women.
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Eighty percent of people who purchase
poinsettias are 40 or older.
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Poinsettias are the best selling potted
plant in North America.
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Poinsettias are the most popular
Christmas plant even though most are sold in a 6 week
period.
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The cost of a poinsettia is determined by
the number of blooms.
Caring for your poinsettia
How do you get a poinsettia to bloom?
To get a poinsettia to reflower you have
to keep it in total darkness between 5 pm and 8 am.
Start this around October 1st and continue
until color shows on the bracts; usually around early to
mid-December. Any little exposure to light can prevent
flowering. Covering the plant with a light-proof bag and
placing it in a closet might work. Night time
temperatures above 70-75°F can decay or prevent
flowering.
How can I make my poinsettia last during
the holiday season?
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Place the poinsettia in a sunny window.
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Do not let any part of plant touch cold
window panes.
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Indoor temperatures from 60 to 70°F is
ideal for long plant life.
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High temperatures will shorten the life
of the colorful bracts.
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Water only when the soil is dry.
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Placing your poinsettia in a cool room 55
to 60°F at night will extend blooming time.
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Do not fertilize when plant is in bloom.
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Avoid temperature fluctuations and warm
or cold drafts.
I want to keep my poinsettia plants. When
can I take them outside?
Move your poinsettia plant outdoors when
all danger of frost has passed. Place it in a sunny area
but where it will get moderate shade in the afternoon.
Should I fertilize my poinsettia if I am
keeping it past the holiday season?
Fertilize once a month with a water
soluble houseplant fertilizer.
How often should I water the poinsettia?
Be sure to remove foil covering drain
holes before watering. Water only when the soil is dry.
Do not let the poinsettia wilt. Do not let it sit with
water in the saucer. Empty the saucer.
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Are poinsettias poisonous?
Poinsettias are not poisonous. For nearly eight decades, this rumor has continued to circulate because of one unfounded story in 1919: that an Army officer’s two year old child allegedly died after eating a poinsettia leaf. While never proved by medical or
scientific fact and later determined to be hearsay, the story has taken on a life of it’s own. But, the defenders of the poinsettia have pulled out all the scientific stops to allay public fears.
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