Few plants have as many names because the poinsettia. They are primarily purchased in the course of the holidays and are amongst the most well-liked potted plants within the United States.
Deep roots
What we call the poinsettia comes from Mexico and was called Cuetlaxochitl by the Aztecs. The Aztecs used its juice to cure fever and its red leaves to make dyes. According to Aztec legend, the plants were a present from the gods as a reminder of the sacrifice to create the universe and were to be repaid through human sacrifice.
Multiple names
After the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the plants got a brand new name: “la flor de Nochebuena,” or “flower of the Holy Night.” Rather than indicating human sacrifice by the Aztecs, the blood-red color symbolized Christ's sacrifice and is related to the Christmas season. In Mexico, poinsettias within the wild are significantly different than those we buy in stores today. Some plants can grow to greater than 15 feet tall.
Poinsettia
Other names: Poinsettia, Easter flower, lobster flower plant, Mexican flame leaf, painted leaf
In some parts of Europe it’s customary to present poinsettias as gifts on Christmas Eve. The plant's star-shaped inflorescences are said to resemble the Star of Bethlehem.
Random twist
In Mexico, poinsettias are displayed around Dia de la Virgen on December twelfth. In the USA, Poinsettia Day can also be December twelfth. The date commemorates Joel Poinsett, who died on December 12, 1851. Poinsett was the primary American ambassador to Mexico in 1828, in addition to a botanist who collected plant species. He is credited with introducing the plant to the United States and successfully growing it in his greenhouse in South Carolina. The plant was named after him by a botanical society in Europe.
A matter of the duvet page
The red leaves of poinsettias are sometimes confused with flower petals and are called bracts. The brilliant red bracts attract pollinators.
Myth destroyer
The belief that poinsettias are poisonous to people and animals is a misconception. Studies conducted by Ohio State University in collaboration with the Society of American Florists concluded that no toxicity was evident at experimental intake levels well in excess of those prone to occur in a house environment. However, the plant sap may cause a light response in individuals with latex allergies.
Californian roots
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roughly 34 million poinsettia plants are sold within the U.S. in the course of the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That wasn't all the time the case. The popularity of the poinsettia is basically on account of the Ecke family from California. The Eckes developed a technique of growing plants that produced many long-lasting flowers and were easy to move. In the early 1900s, Paul Ecke Sr. began selling poinsettias from a street stand in Hollywood. His son, Paul Ecke Jr., improved their breeding and brought them to the sets of popular television shows corresponding to “Tonight Show” and “Bob Hope Christmas Specials.” For a time, the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas produced about 90% of the poinsettias sold worldwide.
branch
In 1990, a report by botanists on the University of Minnesota revealed how the grafting method utilized by the Ecke family produced the compact, so-called “free-branched” poinsettias. After this revelation, competition began to accentuate, and in 2012 the Ecke family sold their company to a Dutch agricultural company, citing global competition and consolidation.
There are a whole bunch of species of poinsettias. In addition to the standard red, poinsettias may also be pink, white or yellow.
Go to the dark side
The Penn State Botany Department states that poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning fading daylight triggers flowering. Despite the term “short day,” research has shown that it is definitely the length of night or darkness that is significant within the flowering cycle. To bloom for the winter holiday season, a poinsettia needs 12 to 14 nighttimes every day starting around October 1st. Even a temporary interruption of sunshine in the course of the dark period can reset the clock and stop the plant from blooming.
US Horticulture
The poinsettia is certainly one of the best-selling flowers worldwide. It is especially popular within the United States, where the market recorded sales of $213.7 million in 2021, in keeping with the USDA. That's a 40% increase from 2020. California is the highest poinsettia producing state. Other major poinsettia growing states include North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Ohio.
Poinsettia care
With proper care, your poinsettia will last through the vacation season and into late winter. Here are some tricks to make it last:
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- Place it in a room where there’s brilliant natural light, but not where the sun shines directly on the plant.
- Keep the plant away from places exposed to hot or cold drafts.
- Place the plant high enough to be out of reach of unsupervised children and pets.
- Place the plant in a water-resistant container to guard your furniture.
- Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry. Discard any excess water remaining within the saucer after 10 minutes.
- The brilliant color of the bracts stays longer when temperatures don’t exceed 71.6 degrees.
Originally published:
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