History of popular holiday plant has roots in Mexico

Discovered in Mexico in 1828, the colorful red and green plant now synonymous with Christmas is named - at least commonly - after a U.S. ambassador to that country, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who also happened to be an amateur botanist.

But the poinsettia's association with Christmas began several centuries earlier in the country where Poinsett found the plant growing like a weed on the side of the road.

Mexican legend tells the story of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday, so an angel encouraged her to gather weeds from the roadside and place them at the church altar. Soon after, beautiful crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds.

Poinsett, who was born in Charleston, S.C., in 1779 and served in Mexico from 1825-30, found the plant growing on the side of the road during a 1828 visit to Taxco del Alarcon, in southern Mexico. Poinsett sent a sample home for cultivation, and eventually began giving the plants to friends.

A few years later, the plant was given the scientific name of Euphorbia pulcherrima, with pulcherrima meaning "very beautiful," but the Aztecs had for years called it cuetlaxochitl, meaning "skin flower" or "star flower." The Aztecs used the plant create red dye and control fevers.

But it was in 1836, according to culturesheet.org, that horticulturist and historian William Prescott was asked to give the plant a common name.

After a bit of research, Prescott chose to name the plant after the Mexican ambassador.

Although in Mexico, the common name for the plant is La Flor de la Nochebueana, or flower of the Holy Night, and it is displayed each Dec. 12, which is the Dia de la Virgen.

Dec. 12 in the U.S. is, by act of Congress, National Poinsettia Day, which has its own Web site, www.poinsettiaday.com.

Dec. 12 also is the anniversary of Poinsett's death in 1851.

Now, 158 years later, and seemingly in keeping with the ambassador's tradition, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that 75 million poinsettias are bought each year during the holiday season - gifts to family, friends and ourselves.