The poinsettia, formally known as Euphorbia pulcherrima, is a vibrant symbol of the holiday season. This widespread association is a blend of ancient folklore, a fortunate botanical cycle, and strategic commercial marketing. The plant’s journey from a wild Mexican shrub to the world’s most popular holiday decoration connects pre-Columbian history with modern horticulture. Understanding this history reveals how cultural significance, diplomatic curiosity, and savvy business practices created a global holiday tradition.
The Cultural Legend of La Flor de Nochebuena
The poinsettia’s initial connection to the holiday originates in Mexican folklore known as the legend of La Flor de Nochebuena, or “Christmas Eve Flower.” The story centers on Pepita, a young peasant girl too poor to afford a gift for the Christmas Eve nativity scene in her village church.
Pepita was encouraged to offer whatever she could, as any gift given from the heart would be acceptable. She gathered a humble bouquet of weeds and roadside greenery. As she placed the offering at the foot of the manger, the simple green weeds miraculously burst into brilliant crimson blooms.
Villagers perceived this transformation as a Christmas miracle, establishing the plant’s sacred association with the holiday. The star-shaped arrangement of the colorful leaves, called bracts, is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, while the deep red color represents the blood of Christ. Franciscan friars in the 17th century began using the native plant in their Christmas services, solidifying its role in local religious traditions.
The Role of Joel Poinsett and Commercial Popularity
The plant’s path to American and global recognition began with Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico and an avid amateur botanist. Poinsett encountered the plant in 1828 near Taxco, captivated by the vivid red winter blooms. He sent cuttings back to his South Carolina greenhouses, where he cultivated the plant and distributed samples to horticultural colleagues.
The plant was named the poinsettia in his honor and was first offered commercially in 1836. It remained a niche product until the early 20th century, when the Ecke family of California transformed it into a mass-marketed holiday staple. Albert Ecke and his son Paul Ecke Sr. began selling the plant from roadside stands, recognizing its seasonal potential.
The family later developed grafting techniques that produced the dense, multi-branched, and longer-lasting potted plants seen today, superior to the original wild shrub. Paul Ecke Jr. launched an extensive marketing campaign, sending free plants to television stations for holiday broadcasts. This combination of botanical innovation and media saturation cemented the poinsettia’s image as the definitive American Christmas decoration, leading to the sale of approximately 70 million plants annually.
The Unique Timing of Its Seasonal Color
The poinsettia’s natural coloring aligns perfectly with the Christmas season because it is a “short-day” species. This means it requires long periods of uninterrupted darkness to trigger its color change. The brilliant red structures are technically modified leaves called bracts, not flower petals. The actual flowers are the small, yellowish structures located in the center.
To initiate the vibrant coloring process, the plant must be exposed to a minimum of 12 to 14 consecutive hours of complete darkness each night for several weeks. In its native habitat, the natural shortening of daylight hours in late fall and early winter provides this necessary photoperiod, causing the bracts to turn red just in time for December. Commercial growers precisely control this photoperiod using light deprivation techniques to ensure the plants reach peak color for holiday distribution.
Addressing Common Concerns and Basic Care
A persistent myth surrounding the poinsettia is that the poinsettia is highly toxic and dangerous to ingest. This belief is largely unfounded and likely stems from a rumored, unconfirmed 1919 incident and the plant’s membership in the spurge family. Extensive testing has shown that consuming parts of the plant causes only mild physical discomfort, such as an upset stomach or vomiting, and is not life-threatening to humans or pets. The plant does contain a milky white sap, or latex, that can cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals.
Basic Care Requirements
For basic care, poinsettias thrive with adequate indirect sunlight and require careful watering. Water only when the soil surface feels dry to the touch, ensuring the plant is never left sitting in standing water, which can lead to root rot.
Poinsettias are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures and drafts, so they should be kept away from open windows, doors, and heating vents. The ideal temperature range for maintaining a healthy plant is between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. To maintain the bract color for as long as possible, prevent any exposure to artificial light sources during the extended nightly dark period.