Euphorbia pulcherrima, the botanical name, or poinsettia as we call it is local to Mexico and Guatemala with Central America. Poinsettias are part of the Euphorbiaceae family. Many plants in this family ooze a milky sap. The botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, was given to the poinsettia through German botanist, Karl Ludwig Wilenow. The plant grew through a crack in his varieties of greenhouse. Dazzled by its color, he gave it the botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima, meaning 搗ery beautiful? The History of the Poinsettia in its Native HabitatThe Aztecs within the fourteenth through sixteenth generations called this plant 揅uetlaxochitl? in their native Nahuatl language. Cuitllatl means 搑esidue? and xochiti means 揻lower? thus it is 搕he flower that grows in the residues or soil? Montezuma, the last of the Aztec kings, had poinsettia plants brought up to what is current day Mexico City by caravans. The Aztecs saw the plant as a symbol of purity and used it as a dye and against fevers. Seventeenth century Spanish botanist Don Juan Balme mentions poinsettia herbs in his writings. He found the plant flourishing on the slopes and in this valleys near Cuernavaca. He described the grow as having large green leaves and a small flower surrounded by simply brilliant red bracts, almost as if for protection. At the same time the Spanish Franciscan Friars, who settled in the Taxco region of to the south Mexico, included the timely cold weather grown red blooms of the plants in their Fiesta de Pesebre, the Nativity procession. The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star from Bethlehem and was branded 揘oche Buena? meaning Christmas Eve. The name 損oinsettia? is derived from Joel Roberts Poinsett who was the first United Reports Minister to Mexico coming from 1825 to 1829. Mr. Poinsett first brought poinsettia plants to America. Poinsettias are fascinating winter season blooming small shrubs or trees which can grow anywhere from with regards to two to sixteen toes tall. Dark green leaves which are about three to half a dozen inches in length add to the festive appearance of this kind of plant. The colored bracts of poinsettia plants are actually leaves. Colors of the bracts can be red, pink, orange, white, or marbled. These colored bracts are caused by photoperiodism. Many flowering plants use a photoreceptor protein, such because phytochrome or cryptochrome, to sense changes between daylight and the darkness of night and / or photoperiod, which they take as signals to plants. People not familiar with poinsettia plants think that the colored bracts are the actual flowers. But the actual flowers, called cyathia, are located at the center of each leaf bunch. Poinsettia plants are considered toxic by many. But this is not the case. They may cause minimal skin irritations to some individuals who are sensitive to it. If any part of the plant is ingested, it may cause an upset belly, diarrhea and vomiting. In addition, the sap that exudes from a broken branch may produce temporary blindness if it comes in contact with the eyes. History of the Poinsettia Arrival within the Unites States and its NameThe poinsettia was introduced to the united states by Mr. Poinsett in 1828. He had sent and brought cuttings with Mexico to his greenhouses with Greenville, South Carolina. He shared these cuttings with friends and other horticulturalists he knew at the time. Euphorbia pulcherrima, the name originally given by German botanist Karl Ludwig Wilenow is changed to 揚oinsettia? in honor of Mr. Poinsett in 1836 by William Prescott, the historian and horticulturalist, who was asked to rename the put. In his newly published historical work at the time on Mexico, 慍onquest of Mexico? Mr. Prescott details Mr. Poinsett抯 discovery of this beautiful plant in the area of Taxco del Alarcon through southern Mexico. During the 1920s Albert Ecke and even his son Paul became thinking about poinsettia plants which grew wild in southern California at this time. As these plants bloomed during the Holiday season both Albert and also Paul thought that this would be a perfect plant to introduce towards the public. Paul continued to foster the idea of making the poinsettia typically the 搊fficial holiday flower? for Christmas. They grew fields associated with poinsettia plants and began to sell them commercially. The plants were at first sold at roadside stands in the Hollywood and Beverly Slopes area. In 1923 the family moved their business to help you Encinitas, about 2 hours south of the very fast developing area around Los angeles. Encinitas proved to function as the perfect location for growing poinsettias as it mirrored the growing circumstances of its native Mexico where these plants increase wild. From 1923 to the mid-1960s they grew areas of poinsettia mother house plants, and shipped them to plant nurseries around the country that purchased these individuals for cultivation and upcoming commercial sales. Paul personally traveled the country promoting the plant to help nurseries nationwide and encouraged nursery owners to market the plant as a holiday flower. But this changed in 1963 when the first commercial-quality poinsettia cultivar was developed. It grew best as a potted plant and was introduced to the public. This dramatically changed the nature of commercially growing not to mention selling poinsettia plants. Even for the Ecke Family Business, they moved indoors from the fields to growing such smaller plants in greenhouses. They began shipping by air freight rather than by rail. Paul Jr. with his marketing ideas to always keep the poinsettia plant within the public eye used the actual popular growing medium of television to encourage these bright red in addition to later red and along with white potted flowering plants. They became a part of the scenery in most every popular Tv show and all the Christmas Specials throughout the holiday season. No holiday scene would be complete without at least one blooming poinsettia plant. Today Dr. Ruth Kobayashi continues to produce new poinsettia hybrids for the Ecke family. Dr. Kobayashi抯 work resulted in the knowledge of the most important poinsettia genetics identified today. In 2002 慞restige Red? was introduced known for its outstanding branching capabilities and very sturdy stems. 慞restige Red? quickly became the number one selling red poinsettia. Presently experiments continue to breed other species with the Euphorbia genus. Currently there are more than 100 types of poinsettias available. Here are some belonging to the cultivar names exhibiting some of the most spectacular poinsettia colors that you could buy: Cortez Red, Cranberry Punch, Flirt, Galaxy Red, Marblestar, Nutcracker Pink, Monet, Plum Pudding, Silverstar White, Sonora Fire, Victory Red, White Christmas, Spotlight Apricot, and Pearl. In addition many advertisement growers have cultivated new plants which have longer lasting bract designs and lasting foliage that can survive poor watering lives. Poinsettia growers have characteristically constructed today抯 plants bruise resistant and more flexible with less fragile bracts that can survive shipping without dropping their leaves which allows them to arrive beautifully intact with the stores and nurseries just for retail sales. Initial Care of your newly purchased Plant.... When purchasing poinsettia plants make sure the plant is wrapped properly to protect it from cold temperatures throughout the trip home. Place this near a sunny eyeport. Maintain a temperature above 65 degrees F. Mist the plant daily along with lukewarm water. To avoid spots on the leaves from misting take advantage of distilled water. Water the plant when the surface is dry to the touch. Water thoroughly until the water completely drains into any saucer. Make sure in order to empty the saucer from drained water. Keep the plant away from all drafty areas, hot or cold air. Poinsettia Care after the Holidays.... January to 03? Keep watering when the top is dry and misting the plant throughout the day (3-4 times). Poinsettias love the humidity the misting creates. April? Gradually decrease watering permitting the poinsettia plant to get dry between watering. But be careful that the plant doesn't shrivel. Discontinue misting during this period. After your poinsettia is used to this dryness, move it to a cool basement or any place where the temperature is about 60 degrees F for any period of about 30 days. May? Cut the plant back to about 4-5 inches higher than the soil level, repot into the next size container and even sprinkle one tablespoon of bone meal over the roots. At this time you may also add some slow launch fertilizer, like 14-14-14, or 19-6-12 for faster growth. Water the newly transplanted plant with Superthrive or all transplant solution which possesses Vitamin B1. Now it抯 time to place your poinsettia plant in a sunny window where this temperature is above 65 diplomas F. Mist the plant daily and water when the surface is dry. If you haven抰 added a slow release fertilizer while transplanting, start fertilizing with a powerful all purpose fertilizer every two weeks as soon as new growth appears. June? Move your poinsettia plant outside into a partial sunny location and continue to water and fertilize it. July? At the beginning of the month cut back just about every stem about an ". This will encourage ones own poinsettia to branch resulting in a bushy plant. If a person don抰 pinch it once again, your poinsettia grows high without side branches. August? By now your plant must have branched well and it抯 time to cut it back one more time so each shoot seems to have about four leaves eventually left. At this time continue with your fertilizing, misting, and watering schedule. September? Continue in order to fertilize, misting, and water and make sure the temperature stays on top of 65 degrees F. October? As your poinsettia needs short days in order to set buds, you need to provide it with 12 months hours of total darkness starting the first day of October. Give the plant night from 5 pm towards 8 am every day during this period. Without these additional several hours of darkness poinsettias won抰 set buds and the leaves remain green. Place a box and black plastic bag over the poinsettia plant making positive no light reaches any plant. During daytime move the plant to a sunny window and continue to fertilize, misting, and water. November? At the end of the month discontinue the darkness treatment and leave the particular plant in its sun-drenched window. At this time you should be able to see flower buds. December? Discontinue fertilizing about the middle of the month. Continue watering and mist and treat your poinsettia plant just like you did after you bought it. At this time your poinsettia should be blooming again. Like many tropical plants poinsettias can be grown successfully indoors anytime properly tested and proven guidelines are followed. One can enjoy poinsettia plants for months until it is time to bring out and about the Easter Lily.
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Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:10 pm