Where did the poinsettia tradition begin?

Answer 1

As a shrub growing wild in southwestern Mexico is the way in which poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) started out.

Left to its own devises, the poinsettia matures to a height of 16 feet/4.9 meters. But the beautiful color change that its modified leaves take on by late December got the attention of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. At that point, it transitioned into a cultivated plant whose height was controlled to about one-third of its potential.

As a cultivated plant, it became incorporated into the religious rituals of the ancient Aztecs of Mexico and subsequently into the Christmas celebrations of Spanish-speaking Catholic missionaries and settlers of Mexico. The association with the Christmas holidays was continued with the plant's introduction into the United States of America by Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779 - December 12, 1851) and its cultivation and promotion through the efforts of the Ecke family in early 20th-century Hollywood, California.

Answer 2

Mexico is the point of origin of the traditional association of the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with the Christmas holidays.

Specifically, the plant is native to Taxco de Alarcón in southwestern Mexico. The reputation of the plant's brightly blooming colors in December spread throughout ancient Mexico. It was used as a symbol of spiritual purity in the religious rituals of the Aztecs in central Mexico.

In the 17th century, European settlers of Mexico discovered the plant. Franciscan missionaries incorporated it into Nativity celebrations in late December. So the plant's role as a symbol of spiritual purity for religious rituals was adapted to the Christmas celebrations of Spanish-speaking Catholic settlers in Mexico.

In the 19th century, Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779 - December 12, 1851) served as Special Envoy (1822-1823) and then first U.S. Minister (1825-1830) in Mexico. In the course of his stay, he discovered the plants in their native range in southwestern Mexico. As a trained botanist, he recognized the scientific import and the cultural uses for beautiful, late-blooming plants. He began sending specimens to his own greenhouses in South Carolina and to select botanist friends. The plant was given the name "poinsettia" in his honor, as the introducer of the plant and of its traditional Mexican use into the United States of America.

But it was really through the enterprising efforts of the Ecke family in the early 20th century that the traditional association of poinsettias with the Christmas holidaysfirmly became established. The family left Switzerland to settle in Hollywood, California. They became specialists in growing, popularizing and selling poinsettias for Christmas holidays in the U.S. and subsequently worldwide.