Geowonderland: The Legend of the Poinsettia, Mexican Folktale

The poinsettia (/p??n's?ti?/p or /??n's?t?/) (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important plant kinds of the diverse spurge family. The kinds is indigenous to Mexico. It really is especially popular for its red and green foliage and it is widely used in Holiday floral exhibits. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett,[3] the first United States Minister to Mexico,[4] who introduced the plant to the united states in 1825.

Euphorbia pulcherrima is a shrub or small tree, typically achieving a level of 0.6-4 metres (2 ft 0 in-13 ft 1 in). The herb bears dark renewable dentate leaves that strategy 7-16 centimetres (2.8-6.3 in) long. The colored bracts--which are most flaming red but can be orange often, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled--are often recognised incorrectly as bloom petals for their groupings and colors, but are actually leaves.[citation needed] The colors of the bracts are manufactured through photoperiodism, and therefore they might need darkness (12 hours at a time for at least five days in a row) to change color. At the same time, the crops require considerable light during the day for the brightest color. The flowers of the poinsettia are unassuming and don't attract pollinators. They are simply grouped within small yellowish structures within the center of every leaf bunch, and are called cyathia. The poinsettia is native to Mexico. It really is within the wild in deciduous exotic forests at average elevations from southern Sinaloa down the whole Pacific coast of Mexico to Chiapas and Guatemala. Additionally it is found in the interior in the hot, dried out forests of Guerrero seasonally, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Reports of E. pulcherrima growing in the wild in Nicaragua and Costa Rica have yet to be verified by botanists. You can find over 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia.

The plant was employed by the Aztecs to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuitlaxochitl, meaning "flower that grows in residues or soil" Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as Flor de Noche Buena, meaning Christmas Eve Flower. In Spain it is known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, indicating Easter flower. In Chile and Peru, the flower became known as Crown of the Andes. In Turkey, it is named Atat?rk's rose because Atat?rk, the founder of the Republic, liked this flower and made a significant contribution to its cultivation in Turkey.[citation needed] In Hungarian, it is named Santa Claus' Flower, and it's trusted as a Holiday decoration.

The plant's association with Christmas started in 16th-century Mexico, where story tells of a woman, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was too poor to provide a surprise for the special event of Jesus' birthday and was influenced by an angel to assemble weeds from the roadside and place them before the church altar. Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias. From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas get-togethers. The star-shaped leaf design is thought to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood vessels sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus. Poinsettias are popular Holiday decorations in homes, churches, office buildings, and somewhere else across North America. They can be purchased in good sized quantities from grocery, drug, and hardware stores. In the United States, 12 is Country wide Poinsettia Day dec.

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