PRLog (Press Release) –
Nov 18, 2009 – While many people mistakenly think that this Christmas-time symbol is poisonous, countless studies have disproven that notion. before you use Know about it.
History & Legends of Poinsettia
Poinsettias were first introduced in the United States in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett.
One of the most delightful decorations at Christmas is the poinsettia. The usual color choice is the deep, vibrant red. However, there is a wide array of other colors, including pink, white, marbled, speckled and yellow. The colorful parts of the poinsettia, the bracts, are actually modified leaves. The poinsettia flower is small, green or yellow and situated in the middle of the bracts.
The connection for the poinsettia is linked to the plant's Mexican origin. First discovered by the early Aztecs, the poinsettia has long been associated as an Indian symbol of purity. When the Spanish conquistadors conquered Mexico and converted the Aztecs to Christianity, the power of the poinsettia was also transformed.
http://www.giftblooms.com/USA/Christmas-Flowers-and-Gift ...
The poinsettia is a native plant of Mexico and originated in a rather limited region near present day Taxco. Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Aztecs of central Mexico cultivated the plant and called it Cuetlaxochitl. Because of its brilliant color, the poinsettia was a symbol of purity to the Indians. It was highly prized by both King Netzahualcoyotl and Montezuma, but because of the high altitude climate, the plant could not be grown in their capital, now known as Mexico City. The Indians used poinsettia bracts to make a reddish-purple dye. They also made a medicine for fever from the plant’s latex.
One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend the service. On their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside and decided to take them as their gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene. Of course they were teased by other children when they arrived with their gift, but they said nothing for they knew they had given what they could. Maria and Pablo began placing the green plants around the manger and miraculously, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by beautiful star-like flowers and so we see them today.
The Legend
The legend of the poinsettia comes from Mexico. It tells of a girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo. They were very poor but always looked forward to the Christmas festival. Each year a large manger scene was set up in the village church, and the days before Christmas were filled with parades and parties. The two children loved Christmas but were always saddened because they had no money to buy presents. They especially wished that they could give something to the church for the Baby Jesus. But they had nothing.
One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend the service. On their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside and decided to take them as their gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene. Of course other children teased them when they arrived with their gift, but they said nothing for they knew they had given what they could. Maria and Pablo began placing the green plants around the manger and miraculously, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by beautiful star-like flowers and so we see them today.
With its beautiful, red, star-shape poinsettia is a favorite flower in the United States. In Central America it is called the "Flame Leaf" or "Flower of the Holy Night". Now very popular in the US, the American settlers were not quite familiar with this one only a couple of centuries back. A native of Mexico, it was brought here over a hundred years ago by Dr. Joel Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico. Most of the poinsettias used these days come from California.
It was in the early 1800s that the plant was given its English name, after Joel R. Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico in the early 1800s. Poinsett was the first to bring the plant to U.S. soil, having transplanted cuttings from the red beauty back to his home state of South Carolina.
In the early 1900s, the state of California began cultivating the poinsettia for indoor markets. The family of the original producer, Albert Ecke, is still the leading cultivator of the plant, although poinsettias are now grown and sold in all fifty states.
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