This time of year, Poinsettias are seen on porches, flanking fireplaces and adorning business entrances. They are the most popular flowering plant in the United States and a recognized symbol of the holiday season. But what you might now realize is that we owe this popular Christmastime flower to a man from Charleston. Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851) was an amateur botanist, physician and the first U.S. minister to Mexico.
On his travels to Mexico, Poinsett discovered what was known in Mexico as the “Flor de Noche Buena” (Christmas Eve flower). He sent samples home to Charleston – most certainly not realizing how popular this plant would become. Poinsettia Day is Dec. 12, marking Poinsett’s death.
Some Poinsettia facts:
- There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias, including the traditional red, white, pink, burgundy, marbled and speckled.
- The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think of as the flowers are actually colored bracts (modified leaves). Those bracts ooze a milky sap.
- The Aztecs used the Poinsettia bracts to make a reddish purple dye for fabrics and they used the sap medicinally to control fevers.
- Poinsettias contribute more than $250 million to the U.S. economy at the retail level.
- California is the top U.S. Poinsettia-producing state.
- Most Poinsettias are sold within a six-week period leading up to that holiday, representing some $60 million worth.
- Contrary to popular belief, Poinsettias are not poisonous. One study found a 50-pound child would have to eat 500 bracts to have any harmful reaction. But ingesting the bracts – and the milky substance – could result in a tummy ache so best to keep the plants away from children and pets.
Source: University of Illinois Extension
Even though the Poinsettia is regarded as a Christmastime plant, it can grow well beyond December. When the colorful bracts begin to fade sometime in March or April, prune the plant back to about 8 inches in height. It will look bare, but don’t worry new growth will emerge from the nodes up and down the stem. Keep the plant near a sunny window and continue to water it regularly during its growing period. Follow these tips from the Clemson Cooperative Extension for potting and re-flowering Poinsettias. They don’t like freezing temperatures, so our relatively mild winter climate works well for these plants.
