Poinsettias

History of Poinsettias Poinsettias are native to southern Mexico and Central America.They grew wild in the area around the modern day cities of Taxco and Cuernavaca. Long before the Spanish arrived, the Aztecs knew this plant as cuetlaxochitl, they made medicine to treat fever from it’s latex and dye from it’s colored bracts.

The plant was probably first associated with Christmas in the 17th century, when Franciscan priests working the Taxco area included Poinsettias in their Nativity processions because they were so brightly colored at this time of year.

Poinsettias in the USA Joel R. Poinsett introduced the plant in the US when he was the first American ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1829. A scientist and botanist, he noticed the plant and send some home to South Carolina to his private collection, where he began propagating them and giving them to friends and botanical gardens.

The botanical name Euphorbia Pulcherrima, was given to the Poinsettia plant by the german botanist Wilenow. The plant grew through a crack in his greenhouse and because of it’s color he named it Euphorbia Pulcherrima, meaning “very beautiful”.

A nursery from Pennsylvania, John Bartram, is the first person who sold it under it’s botanical name.

In the early 1900’s the Ecke family of southern California grew Poinsettias outdoors for use as landscape plants and as cut flower. Then they started to grow the plant in greenhouses and they are today the leading producer of Poinsettias in the United States.

Different kind of Poinsettias These bushy plants bloom during the winter time and can grow to 3 meters or more in their natural habitat. Plant breeders have produced many different cultivars from it’s species . But they strive to produce smaller Poinsettias in all different colors.

The modern era of Poinsettias growing began in 1923 with the introduction of the Oak Leaf Poinsettia, which was the first to retain some of it’s leaves while in bloom. Earlier Poinsettias had born colorful bracts on leggy, leafless stems. Today all cultivated Poinsettias are hybrids and improved selections.

They are available in in an endless variety of colors, from pink to burgundy, salmon, creamy white, yellow,and bicolored (mottled or marbled), with wavy or curved bracts and dark or medium green, variegated or oak-leaf foliage.

The Sale of Poinsettias Until the 1950’s Poinsettias were used almost exclusively as cut flowers or grown as outdoor plants in the tropics. Today Christmas wouldn’t be the same in Northern countries without these bright ornamental plants. Over 65 million of them are sold every year in the US alone, making them the worlds

Best-selling potted plants. Although the commercial poinsettias production began in 1828, the Ecke family, which settled in the US in the early 20th century, is probably the name most often associated with Poinsettias growing. 90% of all Poinsettias are imported from the US

Selecting a Poinsettia Plant should have dark green foliage down the soil line Choose bracts that are completely colored Do not purchase poinsettias with a lot of green around the bract edges Do not choose plants with fallen or yellow leaves

The plant should be 2 1/2 times taller than the diameter of the container Choose plants that are not drooping or wilting

Poinsettia Care Place your plant in a sunny window and keep the plant from touching the cold windows. Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers or open doors and windows. Daytime temperature 60-70 degrees F,

Night time temperatures are around 55 degree F Water your poinsettia when the soil is dry, and apply a houseplant fertilizer once a month

Health problems with Poinsettias The Poinsettia belongs to the same plant family as the rubber tree which produces latex, if you are allergic to latex you should stay away from live poinsettias because only being near them can cause problems

Let’s Get Growing!!!