AMATEUR BOTANIST BROUGHT THEM TO THE U.S.

In Focus - by CR Brown


Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas at all…without Poinsettias.

And we have Joel Roberts Poinsett, amateur botanist and first United States Ambassador to Mexico, to thank for introducing the plant to this country in 1825. The Ambassador, who was appointed to his post by John Quincy Adams, became fascinated with the plant that the Aztecs called “Cuetlaxochit.”

In fact, Montezuma, the last of the Aztec Kings, had poinsettias delivered by caravan to what is now called Mexico City, since they would not grow at the higher altitudes. From the 14th through the 16th centuries, the Aztecs used the sap to control fever and the bracts (leaves) were used to make red dye.

Meanwhile, the legend of the poinsettia dates back to a Christmas Eve several centuries ago when a little peasant girl by the name of Pepita had no gift to present to the Christ Child, as was the custom at that time. At the urging of her cousin Pedro to present a humble gift, she stopped along the road and gathered some weeds. Miraculously, as Pepita approached the alter with the weeds, they blossomed into brilliant red flowers. They were given the name Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night. They are, of course, known today as poinsettias.

Many believe the poinsettia plant to be poisonous to humans and pets, but that is not the case according to researchers at Ohio State University. Their scientific conclusion was that a typical child would have to “consume 500-600 leaves in order to exceed the experimental doses that found no toxicity.” However, as with any non-food product not intended for consumption, it should be kept out of reach of curious young children and pets.

The poinsettias pictured above were found at Howell’s Nursery & Landscaping, which is located on Highway 29 north of Andalusia, Alabama. According to co-owner Kim Pebworth, upwards to 750 plants will be sold during this Holiday Season through their business alone. However, that number pales by comparison to the number sold by the Ecke Family of southern California. They have grown tens of thousands of poinsettias annually in recent years for landscape and cut flower use, making them by far the leading producer in the US.

Upon the death of Poinsett in 1851, December 12 was set aside as National Poinsettia Day to honor the man and the plant that he made famous.