Saturday, December 13, 2008

Porch Poinsettias and Ambassador Poinsett

The history of the poinsettia: The plant we know today as the poinsettia has a long and interesting history. The fact is, that lovely plant you place in your home during the holidays was once used as a fever medicine! Native to Central America, the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon. The ancient Aztecs had a name for this plant found blooming in the tropical highlands during the short days of winter:cuetlaxochitl. Not merely decorative, the Aztecs put the plant to practical use. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap, today called latex, was made into a preparation to treat fevers. Joel Roberts Poinsett: The poinsettia may have remained a regional plant for many years to come had it not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779 - 1851). The son of a French physician, Poinsett was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825 - 1829) by President Madison. Poinsett had attended medical school himself, but his real love in the scientific field was botany. (Mr. Poinsett later founded the institution which we know today as the Smithsonian Institution). Poinsett maintained his own hothouses on his Greenville, South Carolina plantations, and while visiting the Taxco area in 1828, he became enchanted by the brilliant red blooms he saw there. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began propagating the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens. Among the recipients of Poinsett's work was John Bartram of Philadelphia, who in turn gave the plant over to another friend, Robert Buist, a Pennsylvania nurseryman. Mr. Buist is thought to be the first person to have sold the plant under its botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima (literally, "the most beautiful Euphorbia"). Though it is thought to have become known by its more popular name of poinsettia around 1836, the origin of the name is certainly clear!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an interesting account! Your poinsettias are lovely. Nothing says Christmas as loudly as they do.

Anonymous said...

It is always interesting to find out the story behind some of our most commonly used plants. What would Christmas be without poinsettias?

Jan
Always Growing

Digital Flower Pictures said...

They sure have come a long way! There are more different types each year. I about 24 Pixie (4 inch pot) Poinsettias of all different types and it is making a nice centerpiece for our table.

Best wishes to you for a happy, healthy and fun holiday season.

Aiyana said...

Thanks for the info on the history of the Poinsettia, as well as the slide show in the later post. I like to see the various cultivars that are introduced each year, but I guess I'm a traditionalist--I still like the reds the best, followed by white.
Aiyana
Aiyana

Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog said...

Thanks for spreading this information Jon. Very interesting!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing with us.. Nice blog..


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Tony Destroni said...

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