Around the holiday season, poinsettias can be seen lining front of grocery stores, replacing the pumpkins that we associate with autumn, to signal the start of winter. Though not a flower that likes the cold, the poinsettia has gone from the Aztec symbol of purity, to a symbol of all the things that represent Christmas: cheer, success, and celebration. From its discovery and commercialization, to breeding and evolution, to being the focal point for entire towns and festivals, the poinsettia has undergone physical and figurative changes to get where it is today. How did one plant from Mexico become a national symbol for the American holiday season?
In 1825, President Monroe sent Charleston, South Carolina-local Joel Poinsett to Mexico to explore horticulture interests. Rumor has it, while in Taxco, Mexico “discovered” the flower at a marketplace, enchanted by its bright red bloom. While the Aztecs had been utilizing the medicinal properties of the poinsettia, Poinsett was enthralled by its beauty. He immediately purchased some and had them sent to his home in South Carolina, where, upon his return, he began propagating the plants and sending them to horticultural friends and botanical gardens. He offered the first poinsettia (named after himself, of course) to commercial market in the U.S. in 1836. By the 20th century, the commercialization of Christmas lined up with the westward expansion of the railroad, leading to mass cultivation and marketing the poinsettia as a holiday flower.
Though cast out of Mexico within the year for “intrusive political maneuvering,” Joel Poinsett is honored for bringing the plant to America with a bronze statue of his likeness in his hometown of Charleston. To the Nahuatl-speaking communities of Mexico, the plant is called the cuetlaxochitl (kwet-la-SHO-sheet), meaning “flower that withers,” describing the thin red leaves on wild varieties that can grow up to 10-feet tall. Latin American markets fill up with the plant during the holidays and is called the “flor de Nochebuena” or “flower of Christmas Eve.” While the U.S. did create its own marketing campaign to spread the poinsettia as the Christmas flower, it was spread from Latin America, bringing the flower to be a part of our own Christmases here!
Coinciding with the spread of the railroad, local poinsettia growers started their fields. Some of the most famous and influential poinsettia growers were the Ecke family. In 1910, Paul Ecke Sr. set up flower stands along Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, selling cut flowers from his own fields. A decade later, he developed the first successful “cut flower cultivars” and was able to mass produce poinsettia mother plants that would grow in fields, which he then shipped to commercial greenhouses across the nation. In 1923, he moved his ranch to Encinitas, CA. From 1923 to the 1960’s, the Ranch mainly grew poinsettias in fields, harvested them, and shipped them to greenhouse growers, but in 1960, the Eckes moved their business into greenhouses. Three years later, the poinsettia was successfully bred to grow well as a potted plant, which is how they continue to be sold to this day. The Eckes work with poinsettias also included rare varieties that are no longer in production and can only be seen at the Ranch. The Paul Eckes Ranch has underdone new ownership since 2012 but can still be visited in the spring, when the flower fields and displays are open to the public, and has grown to produce half of the world’s supply of poinsettias.
Texas is also a major producer of poinsettias, so much so, they have their own poinsettia capital! The West Texas small town, Big Spring, holds one of the largest festivals centered on the poinsettia. In 1996, a local named Paul Simmons got the idea to decorate the large spring that gives the town its name with Christmas lights. The first Festival of Lights had only six lighted poinsettias, picked specifically because, “When you see a poinsettia, you think of Christmas,” said Hayley Lewis, the city’s community services director. The festival grew thanks to the artistry of a local couple, Howard and Vicki Stewart, who worked together to create many of the displays and dioramas. A small memoriam has been created for them since their deaths, attributing them with the success of the Festival of Lights, which has since become famous for its display of over 100 poinsettias sculpted with wire and red lights, some reaching 150-feet tall. These are also a part of the Comanche Trail Festival of Lights, which receives an average of 27,000 visitors every year.
The poinsettia is now one of the most important floricultural crops in the country, and botanists and horticulturalists encourage others to shop from local producers. Joel Poinsett’s death day, December 12th, has since been dubbed National Poinsettia Day. But aren’t poinsettias poisonous, you ask? Actually, no! This is a common myth, probably started because its milky sap can cause skin irritation—though this is more commonly seen in people with a latex allergy. However, since eating poinsettias can cause an upset stomach, it is strongly encouraged to not allow small children or pets to consume them. The most important thing to remember is that whether you’re in Carlsbad, CA admiring one of the biggest poinsettia producers in the world or visiting Big Spring, TX, for their infamous lighted floral display, Interstate Signways made the signs that led the way!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!