My mother was a serious tennis player and my siblings and I took tennis lessons from a very early age. I remember, when I was 7 or so, going to the grocery store with her before Christmas and hearing her exclaim “Point Settia” as we approached a shelf full of bright red flowering plants. My immediate association was tennis jargon, point, set, match. Ever since then, I can’t see a poinsettia without thinking about my mother in a prim white tennis dress.
In fact, there’s no “t” in the first syllable of the flower’s name, although I often hear it pronounced that way. Poinsettia originated in the deciduous tropical forests of Mexico and Guatemala. The plant was named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first American ambassador to Mexico. He so admired the plant that in 1825 he sent some specimens back to his home in South Carolina, where the plant was propagated and spread.
The history of poinsettia goes way back. The Aztecs used it to make red dye and also as a medicine to reduce fever.
The plant became associated with Christmas based on a 16th-century Mexican legend about a poor young girl who had no money to buy a present for the celebration of the Christ child’s birth. An angel appeared to her and instructed her to collect weeds and leave them in front of the church altar. Suddenly, red blossoms appeared on the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.
After that, Franciscan monks used the plants in their Christmas observances. It is said that the star-shaped leaf pattern represents the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents Christ’s blood from the crucifixion. Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as Flor de Noche Buena, meaning Christmas Eve Flower. In Hungary, it is called Santa Claus’ Flower.
The plant’s botanical name is Euphorbia Pulcherrima (pulcherrima means beautiful in Latin). Euphorbia, commonly known as spurge, does not have actual flowers. The flower-like petals are bracts, specialized leaves that have a reproductive function. We tend to think of poinsettia bracts as red, but they come in many shades of white and pink as well as mottled patterns. It pains me to see poinsettias festooned with glitter; it seems an indignity to a lovely tropical plant. But to each his own.
Poinsettias are a bit picky about their care and feeding. If you’re transporting them outdoors in cold weather, make sure to wrap them carefully. Even a few minutes of cold can harm them. Once you’ve got the plant inside, unwrap it to avoid damage to the leaves and stems.
Poinsettias like to be well watered, but not drowned. When the soil feels dry, water thoroughly. They are prone to root rot, so don’t let the pot sit in excess water. Tropical forest plants like poinsettias prefer a warm, humid environment. Keeping them close to other plants helps create humidity. Approximately six hours a day of indirect sunlight is ideal, but make sure the plant doesn’t come into contact with cold windows.
The plants don’t like to be stressed, so keep them away from drafts, warm or cold.
Don’t fertilize them when they’re in flower. If you want to keep them around for next year, let them dry out a bit after they’ve lost their bracts and then fertilize monthly with a houseplant fertilizer.
This might sound like a lot of work, but it’s really not so hard.
I think poinsettias have gotten a bad rap in recent years. Too often they are relegated to doctors’ waiting rooms and shop windows, where they glumly gather dust. Given their poignant origin story of weeds transformed by devotion into flowers, poinsettias deserve better treatment. This year, remember Mr. Poinsett’s delight in coming upon them in the wilds of Mexico. Show them some love!
Registration for this popular summer camp is just around the corner. Farm in the Garden Camp is BBG’s full-day summer camp where children ages 5 to 14 are immersed in a week of playing and working together at the garden. Camp days are filled with hands-on animal care, growing, cooking and eating food produced in the garden, garden-themed arts and crafts, singing, games, water play and much more.
The camp has a limited capacity of 25 campers for each of the six weeks and fills up early. Enrollment begins Jan. 18.
Active BBG Members can take advantage of the special early enrollment period beginning Jan. 4. Members also receive a reduced tuition rate.
For more information on Farm in the Garden Camp, go to berkshirebotanical.org.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.