Flower of the Holy Night: How Poinsettias Became the Flower of Christmas
Every Christmas, poinsettias sit in pots trimmed with foil. But in their native habitats along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, some wild cousins of these holiday decorations can grow to a height of thirteen feet or more. That’s why gardeners in subtropical regions around the world can shape and trim poinsettias to become hedges, shrubs, or even small trees. With the proper care, every poinsettia could grow up to be a bush of some kind as long as the ambient temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
April showers might bring May flowers, but poinsettias need twelve to fourteen hours of continuous darkness every day for six to eight weeks in order to achieve their most vibrant colors. Without the proper amount of darkness, the bracts that surround the button-sized flower clusters will remain green along with the rest of the plants’ leaves. Wild poinsettias only come in shades of white or red. Various hybrids can also be pink or orange, yellow or purple, marbled or speckled.
“April showers might bring May flowers, but poinsettias need twelve to fourteen hours of continuous darkness every day for six to eight weeks in order to achieve their most vibrant colors.”
When Mexican Christians back in the 1600s and 1700s noticed that the deep reds of the “painted-leaf” plant would always appear by late December, they began to use them as decoration in their festivities. Eventually poinsettias began to be called flor de noche buena or Flower of the Holy Night.
Poinsettias remained a regional phenomenon until the 1820s when they were spotted by the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He happened to be an enthusiastic amateur botanist as well as a diplomat. In 1828, Joel Roberts Poinsett sent the first cuttings of the plant that would eventually be named after him back to the United States. After their successful appearance at a flower show in Philadelphia, poinsettias made their way across the Atlantic to Europe as well.
It wasn’t until the 20th century, however, that poinsettia plants took on their current appearance when Paul Ecke of Encinitas, California experimented with ways to make them fuller and hardier with long-lasting color. With his secret techniques, he expanded his family’s business from a local grower of comparatively obscure plants to a multimillion-dollar industry. Thanks to his efforts, the poinsettia has become the flower of the entire holiday season as well as the Flower of the Holy Night.
Paul Ecke of Encinitas, California experimented with ways to make them fuller and hardier with long-lasting color.
With his secret techniques, he expanded his family’s business from a local grower of comparatively obscure plants to a multimillion-dollar industry.
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