Most of us love picking up a beautiful Poinsettia to brighten up the house during the holidays, but have you ever wondered where these festive plants actually come from? Surprisingly, very few people know the history behind their favorite Christmas bloom or how it got its many names.
Where is the Poinsettia’s original home?
The Poinsettia is native to Mexico and other parts of Central and South America, including Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina. In its natural habitat, it doesn’t sit in a small pot on a windowsill; it grows in tropical forests as a leggy shrub that can reach up to 13 feet tall! Because it’s used to the consistently warm temperatures of the tropics, this plant is a total “warmth-lover” and cannot handle even a touch of frost.
The many names of the Christmas Star
While we usually call it a Poinsettia or a Christmas Star, its scientific name is *Euphorbia pulcherrima*. Depending on where you are in the world, you might hear it called:
- Star of the Aztecs
- Poinsettia
- Cuitla-xochitl
- Star of Love
- Advent Star
- Christ Star
Since the plant is native to Mexico and was cherished by the Aztecs long ago, it earned the nickname “Star of the Aztecs.” The name we use most often in the States, “Poinsettia,” actually comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was the first U.S. Minister to Mexico, and he’s the one who first brought the plant back to the U.S. in the early 1800s.
The tongue-twister name “Cuitla-xochitl” is linked to the Aztec ruler Montezuma. Legend has it that he believed the brilliant red leaves came from the blood of a heartbroken Aztec goddess. This romantic (if a bit tragic!) story eventually made its way to France, where the plant is often called the “Star of Love.”
As for the names “Christmas Star” or “Advent Star,” they come from a beautiful Mexican folk tale. The story goes that a poor young girl had no gift to bring to the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve service. She picked a humble bouquet of weeds from the roadside and placed them at the altar. Miraculously, the weeds transformed into brilliant red blooms. Every year since, they have bloomed at Christmastime and are known in Mexico as “Flores de Noche Buena”—the Flowers of the Holy Night.
How did it get to Europe?
The famous naturalist Alexander von Humboldt brought the Poinsettia to Europe in the early 19th century after his travels through the Americas. However, it wasn’t an instant commercial hit. It wasn’t until 1906 that a gardener named Paul Ecke began cultivating the plant, first as a cut flower and eventually as the potted houseplant we know today. Now, the gardening industry produces around 200 million of these festive plants every single year!
