Poinsettias

A favorite flower for the Posada Celebration is the poinsettia, with its beautiful red star shape. The legend of the poinsettia relates the story of a girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo. They were very poor but always looked forward to the Christmas festival each year, when a large Nativity scene was set up in the village church and the days leading up to Christmas were filled with posadas. But the two children were saddened because they had no money to buy presents. They especially wished to give something to the church, but they had nothing.

One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend Midnight Mass. On their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside to present as their gift to the church. They were mercilessly teased by the other children when they arrived with their humble offering, but Maria and Pablo knew they had given everything they had. As they began to place the weeds around the Nativity scene, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals. Soon the manger was surrounded by the bright red, star-shaped flowers and everyone in the church believed they were witnessing a true Christmas miracle. Since that day, these beautiful flowers that bloom during the Christmas season have been known as Flores de Noche Buena or "Flowers of the Holy Night."

Nochebuena, the Mexican name of the flower English-speakers call poinsettia, was discovered in Taxco and the valleys surrounding Cuernavaca. Known by the Aztecs in their native Nahuatl language as cuetlaxochitl, it is believed that they brought the plant from the tropical climate of Cuernavaca to their Aztec highlands for cultivation in special nurseries. Prized for the curative properties of the milk that dripped from the leaves, stems and flowers when cut, the plant also produced pigment from the red leaves was also used to dye cotton fibers.

After the Spanish Conquest, Franciscan priests posted to the Taxco area used the plants to decorate their Christian nativity scenes, creating the plant's first link to the Christmas season. The nochebuena gained further attention when Hernando Ruiz de Alarcon, a resident of Taxco and the brother of a famous Spanish writer, Juan Ruiz de Alarcon, wrote poetically about the flower and later, when it captured the attention of the Spanish botanist Don Juan Balme.

The poinsettia plant was brought from Mexico to America by Dr. Joel Roberto Poinsett (1770-1851), who served as U.S. ambassador to Mexico following that countrys Independence from Spain. Poinsett fell in love with the nochebuena plant when he first saw it in 1823 adorning the churches of Taxco. He sent specimens back to the States to decorate his mansion in South Carolina one Christmas, and upon his return home several years later, he was astonished to find the entire town of Charleston growing the festive red flower.

Poinsett began propagating the plant and dedicated the last years of his life to spreading its beauty throughout the world. His pursiut earned him a fortune, even though the popular plant’s Nahuatl name (flor que se marchita or "flower that wilts") correctly describes why its cut blossoms are unsuitable for use in floral arrangements or bouquets. The plant’s original Latin name euphorbia pulcherrima was eventually changed to poinsettia pulcherrima and December 12th was declared National Poinsettia Day in honor of Dr. Poinsett’s death on December 12, 1851.

The poinsettia plant was cultivated in the 1890s and early 1900s by the Albert Ecke family of southern California, who grew poinsettias outdoors for use as landscape plants. They later began growing potted poinsettias on a large scale in greenhouses and today, the Eckes are recognized as the leading producer of poinsettias in the United States. Their home town of Ventura is nicknamed "Poinsettia City by the Sea."

Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous. The myth began in 1919 when an Army officer claimed that the death of his child was the result of eating a poinsettia bract—a story that was later disproved. Research has found no toxicity after ingesting any part of the poinsettia plant. In fact, the POISINDEX Information Service, the primary information resource used by most poison control centers, states that a 50-pound child would have to ingest over 500 poinsettia bracts to surpass experimental doses. Yet even at this high level, no toxicity was demonstrated.

As with all ornamental plants, poinsettias are not intended for human or animal consumption, and certain individuals may experience an allergic reaction to poinsettias. However, the poinsettia has been demonstrated to be a safe plant. In fact, in 1992 the poinsettia was included on the list of houseplants most helpful in removing pollutants from indoor air. So not only should the poinsettia be considered a safe and beautiful addition to your holiday decor, it can even help keep your indoor air clean!

The Legend of the Poinsettia
Poinsettia Craft and Learning Activities
The Poinsettia Pages
A Poinsettia for You to Make