Karen Gros
Did you know that the Poinsettia didn’t come to the United States until 1828? Joel Roberts Poinsett, a medical student that lived in South Carolina, was the very first Ambassador to Mexico appointed by President Madison. He fell in love with this beautiful plant while he was there and brought several back home to his family’s plantation to grow in the greenhouse. This plant was called “Cuetlaxochitl” in Mexico and were mainly used for medicinal purposes.
The Cuetlaxochitl actually grows as a tree in Mexico. In the 1800’s the plant was found to be useful for first aid. The milky white sap was used to treat or reduce fevers. The Aztecs extracted a purple dye from the plant which was used in cosmetics.
Once back home in South Carolina, Poinsett propagated his new find and sent several cuttings out to friends and relatives in other regions of the United States, as well as to several botanical gardens. Although he was a medical student, he had a great love for botany and this love would remain with him throughout his life. Poinsett was responsible for cultivating the Cuetlaxochitl into the plant we know today as the poinsettia, as in Mexico it grew to the size of a tree.
A fellow botanist, Robert Buist, sold the beautiful plant as “Euphorbia pulcherrima” which means “beautiful.” Buist had fallen in love with the bright leaves and blooms of this vivid new plant. But that wasn’t all that captured his attention. He was mystified with the plant’s strength. Buist noticed that this plant’s roots had grown through the cracks in the flooring in his greenhouse.
The Poinsettia got its name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, who first brought the plant to the United States. It is celebrated on December 12th of every year to celebrate both the life and death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, who passed away on that very same day. The Poinsettia is known as the Christmas Flower by many and is no doubt the most popular Christmas flower in the United States. Today, December 12th is noted as National Poinsettia Day.
And now you know the story behind the poinsettia and how it was introduced to the United States.
Source: www.proflowers.com/blog/history-of-the-poinsettia
Photo: Pixabay
A beautiful flower that has been around a long time.
Yes, and a personal favorite of mine!
Beautiful plant; thanks for sharing this information!
Thank you, my pleasure!
Very interesting information. Thanks for sharing
I thought it was very interesting how the plant got here. You are welcome!
I love poinsettias they are so lovely at holiday time, My last one lasted till spring.
That is about as long as I’ve kept one alive. We can always hope that one day one will survive until the next holiday season, right?
I buy a new one every year so it blooms, dear friend … I buy it a week before Christmas and then it dies and I throw it away
My old bosses wife used to give me one every year at Christmas. She always got them from a nursery and they were super nice and gorgeous!
I have a pot with Poinsettia. I’m waiting for it to bloom!
I’ve never kept one alive from Christmas to Christmas. Good luck with your blooms!
I agree with Indexer. thanks for sharing
I agree with that. I’ve never kept one alive from Christmas to the next Christmas before. I did make it to June one year.
They are a very popular Christmas present in the UK, but notoriously difficult to keep alive for much longer after that!
I agree! I’ve never kept one alive past June of following year. I’d love to keep one alive until the next Christmas season. That would be cool!