Time for a little history lesson. Not a boring one however, a really unique one that may be the game winning knowledge you will need in a bar trivia game. Today, December 12, is National Poinsettia Day so we are going to learn about it.
Although the poinsettia has been used in Mexico by the Aztecs to decorate churches, symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and dye clothing since the fourteenth century, it is credited to be discovered by Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett a amateur botanist and first US ambassador to Mexico. He discovered a shrub on the side of the road in Taxco, Mexico in 1828. He thought it strange because the leaves of this shrub were so brightly colored rather than having any noticeable flowers. At the time many botanists brushed the plant off as being a weed. Poinsett did not agree. He took cuttings home and continued to study and breed this plant. At this time the plant had a very short bloom time of only a couple days in the month of December. Because of the time of year it bloomed it and its rich red color it quickly became a Holiday staple. It wasn't until the 1960's the plant was bred to bloom for more then just a few days. The popularity of this plant in the United States however, is owed to the Ecke's family. In the 1900's they developed the grafting technique which made plants full and compact rather than the weedy look they took on naturally. The Ecke Family did not just grow these plants. They went on a marketing tirade across the country sending free plants to news stations to display on air and went on the Tonight Show and Bob Hope's Christmas Special's to promote this Christmas wonder! They owned this market until the 1990's when a university researcher figured out the method the Ecke family had been using and published it in the name of education for all to see. The Poinsettia is known by many names worldwide. In the language of the Aztecs it is called Cuetlaxochitl, meaning "flower that grows in residues." The Aztecs appear to be quite literal. In Mexico it is known as the Flor de Noche Buena, meaning "Christmas Eve Flower," in Chili it is called the "Crown of the Andes," and in Guatemala it is referred to as "The Flower of the Holy Night." The poinsettia has significance around the world and here is the U.S. I think it is fair to say that it represents the holiday season with class.
(Thanks to Dr. Leonard Perry from the University of Vermont and good ole' Wikipedia for all this great information.)
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