The Farmer Fred® Rant: Poinsettia Pointers

The poinsettia (/p??n's?ti?/p or /??n's?t?/) (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important herb varieties of the diverse spurge family. The types is indigenous to Mexico. It is specifically well known because of its renewable and red foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett,[3] the first USA Minister to Mexico,[4] who introduced the plant to the united states in 1825.

Euphorbia pulcherrima is a shrub or small tree, typically attaining a height of 0.6-4 metres (2 ft 0 in-13 ft 1 in). The herb bears dark green dentate leaves that solution 7-16 centimetres (2.8-6.3 in) long. The coloured bracts--which are most often flaming red but can be orange, pale green, cream, red, white, or marbled--are often mistaken for blossom petals because of their groupings and colors, but are leaves actually.[citation needed] The colors of the bracts are manufactured through photoperiodism, meaning that they might need darkness (12 hours at a time for at least five days in a row) to change color. At exactly the same time, the plant life require numerous light during the full day for the brightest color. The flowers of the poinsettia are unassuming and don't attract pollinators. These are grouped within small yellowish structures within the center of every leaf number, and are called cyathia. The poinsettia is native to Mexico. It is within the outrageous in deciduous exotic forests at moderate elevations from southern Sinaloa down the entire Pacific coast of Mexico to Chiapas and Guatemala. It really is found in the interior in the hot also, seasonally dried forests of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Records of E. pulcherrima growing in the wild in Nicaragua and Costa Rica have yet to be established by botanists. You can find over 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia.

The plant was used by the Aztecs to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is named Cuitlaxochitl, meaning "flower that grows in residues or soil" Today it is well 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 Peru and Chile, the herb became known as Crown of the Andes. In Turkey, it is named Atat?rk's flower because Atat?rk, the creator of the Republic, liked this blossom and made a significant contribution to its cultivation in Turkey.[citation needed] In Hungarian, it is named Santa Claus' Rose, and it's widely used as a Christmas decoration.

The plant's connection with Christmas started in 16th-century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was too poor to give a gift idea for the celebration of Jesus' birthday and was influenced by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the cathedral altar. Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias. From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the vegetation in their Christmas celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern is thought to symbolize the Superstar of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood vessels sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus. Poinsettias are popular Xmas adornments in homes, churches, office buildings, and across North America elsewhere. They are available in good sized quantities from grocery, drug, and hardware stores. In the United States, December 12 is Country wide Poinsettia Day.

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There are millions of poinsettias sold very year around the holiday