The poinsettia is the quintessential Christmas plant. Ever wonder why?

Well, to trace the story of it’s origin we must first venture to Ancient Latin America, where the plant was used by the Aztecs in the 1200s to produce red dye and reduce fevers. Three centuries later it was used by Christians in Mexico during Christmas celebrations. Legend has it that a girl named Maria or Pepita wanted to get a gift for Jesus on his birthday but couldn’t afford one. Distraught, an angel appeared to her telling her to pick some weeds by the roadside and place them in front of a church alter. When she did this, they became beautiful poinsettias. In Mexico, the plant is called Flor de Noche Buena, essentially Christmas Eve flower. The leaves are said to symbolize the stars of Bethlehem and the red color, the blood of Jesus.

In botanical terms, the plant is in the family Euphorbia, named after Euphorbos, an early Greek physician (we’re talking like 50 BC) who married the daughter of Anthony and Cleopatra and was himself interested in the medicinal qualities of plants. Today, many species of Euphorbia are common ornamental succulents. The species name for the poinsettia is pulcherrima which means”most beautiful.”

The plant came to the U.S. by way of Joel Roberts Poinsett who was as it turns out a political and social Da Vinci of sorts who travelled all around the world meeting insanely important people for a number of reasons, two of which were because he was a wealthy and extremely charismatic person in the early 1800s.

{Here’s a brief bio I wrote about his life, if you want the shorter version, skip ahead}

{Poinsett ended up a man of many trades but was born in war-stricken Charleston in 1779. He started school through tutoring at home and ended up at the school of Doctor Timothy Dwight in CT. Dwight later became the president of Yale. As a frail young lad Poinsett apparently couldn’t handle the weather up north so he his father sent him to England to finish up his academics. He was said to be a good scholar and became proficient in Spanish, Italian, German, and French. After his primary studies he set out to attend medical school and become a doctor like his father but poor health and lack of interest dissuaded him. Having been born during the Siege of Charleston in the Revolutionary War and ending up in the conflict between Napoleon and England during his college years piqued his interest in military affairs. So, he registered for the Royal Military Academy mastering strategy and fencing among other subjects. He was now sharp mentally and physically. He returned to Charleston with intent to be an active military member but was convinced by his father to further his study in law. Quitting once again, it he longed for some sort of adventure.

And he got it. He hiked through the countryside in Europe, made cotton farming recommendations to Russian Czars, and saw petroleum pools (thinking one day they might make good fuel) in the Middle East- he was actually one of the earliest western visitors there. Upon returning to the US a few years later he applied for the military and was appointed as a special agent in South America by President James Madison due to his extensive traveling experience. While he was there he fought against the Spanish (for the Chilean army) and made negotiations on behalf of the US.

When he got back to Charleston his friends nominated him for state legislature where he focused his efforts on improvements in infrastructure. . A few years went by and he won a seat in the House of Representatives.}

And FINALLY (We could go on about how amazing a life Poinsett had but….) while in Congress he was assigned the role of Minister to Mexico, since the country had recently won it’s independence from Spain and the US wanted to keep an eye on their political activity.

While in Mexico his botanical interests led to his discovery of, you guessed it, the

POINSETTIA.

Or that’s how the story goes. Tracking down first hand accounts of him actually sending the plant to the US are vague at best. He mentions a few plants in his notes during his time in Mexico but the Flor De Noche Buena isn’t one of them.

Nonetheless, the plant was definitely named in his honor later by a panel of horticulturalists who claim he introduced the flower to America.

The commercialization of the Poinsettia began with a guy named Albert Ecke, a german immigrant who started a farm and orchard in California in 1900 (on his way to Fiji, probably only stopping because he never saw the place). Albert sold poinsettias from street stands. His son Paul improved the aesthetics of the plant with what was a secret grafting technique and the son after that Paul Jr. marketed the plant on the Tonight Show and even Bob Hope’s Christmas special.

Bam. Poinsettias everywhere. In your living room. Gorgeous. Lots of colors. Lots of sizes. Cold but not frost tolerant.

And guess what? It’s actually NOT POISONOUS.

Happy Holidays!

Yours truly,

Your Modern Medicine Man.