Star of Bethlehem, Noche Buena, Flor de Pascua, Crown of the Andes: What do these have in common? They are all names for the brilliant and beautiful Poinsettia, a standard among Christmas tradition in the states with an origin of Mexico. Poinsettias are very prominent during Christmas. It's everywhere! Offices, homes, hospitals, churches, everywhere! With over one hundred varieties in existence, plentiful in colors of red, white, pink, spotted, it's beautiful large leaves; the poinsettia is an absolute must have for the holiday season. I have always enjoyed having one in my home during Christmas, and after doing a little bit of research my respect for it has grown. The origin, legend and science of the plant is truly fascinating.
The plant was introduced to the US in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett, hence its English name being Poinsettia. This plant was not automatically associated with Christmas in the US at this time. It wasn’t until the 1900’s that the Poinsettia generated much interest! A man named Albert Ecke in Los Angeles became interested in the plant and sold them at street stands. Three generations later, Paul Ecke Jr. was the one responsible for advancing the association of the Poinsettia and Christmas by sending cuttings of the plant by air instead of mature plants by rail and also sending free plants to television stations to display on air from Thanksgiving to Christmas. He also appeared on Bob Hope’s Christmas Specials and the Tonight Show to promote the Poinsettia as a traditional Christmas plant. Now that’s what I call creative marketing!
But it doesn’t stop there, friends! Another way the Ecke family made the Poinsettia more popular and aesthetically pleasing was they discovered a way to graft two varieties of the plant together to make the seedlings branch, resulting in a bushier plant. On it’s own, it looks kind of like a weed..not too pretty. Of course that is how the most well known legend of the Poinsettia starts...a lowly weed found on the side of the road in Mexico.
As mentioned above the Poinsettia is native to Mexico. Its association with Christmas began there as well with a tale of a little girl. She longed to bring a gift to celebrate Jesus’ birthday at her church but was too poor to get anything. An angel inspired her to gather weeds on the side of the road and put it at the church altar as a gift. There they sprouted crimson blossoms and became Poinsettias. Later on Franciscan monks would associate the plants leaves to the star of Bethlehem, and the red relating to the blood sacrificed during the crucifixion. In Chile, Peru, and Puerto Rico, it is known as Flor de Pascua for Easter Sunday.
What beautiful & meaningful representations the Poinsettia has! At church, we purchase poinsettias in honor and or memory of family members, relatives and friends in November. They are lined up at the front of the church altar and along the stairs where we can see and enjoy them throughout the month of December and take them home after Christmas. It is a lovely tradition in which I enjoy participating and having that reminder as we celebrate the season with our loved ones. It’s also like a “community” decoration of our church home. It is one of the traditions I look forward to every year during the Christmas season. And if you take good care of your poinsettia, it will last past the winter season!
Christmas is right around the corner. It’s probably too late to get yourself one of these lovely brilliant colorful plants which have come to mean so much during the winter season. Right?! Nope! It is not too late to order one of these beauties. And if you call by 11a.m. on Christmas Eve, we can still get it to your doorstep in time for your family dinner!
Click here to see what other arrangements we have available for you to purchase or pick up on your way home today and tomorrow!
