bayugech
Red and white poinsettia flowers
Native to Central America, the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico. The ancient Aztecs put the plant to practical use. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap was made into a preparation to treat fevers.
The poinsettia might have remained a regional plant had it not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851). Poinsett was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825-1829), and later founded the Smithsonian Institution. Poinsett had attended medical school, but his real love in the scientific field was botany.
Poinsett was enchanted by the brilliant red blooms he saw south of the border. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began propagating the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens.
The poinsettia was first introduced into cultivation and commercial trade by Bartram’s Garden on June 6, 1829 at the first semi-annual exhibition of fruits, flowers and plants, of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
The Paul Ecke Ranch is one of the largest breeders and suppliers of holiday poinsettias.
Red and white poinsettia flowers
Native to Central America, the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico. The ancient Aztecs put the plant to practical use. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap was made into a preparation to treat fevers.
The poinsettia might have remained a regional plant had it not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851). Poinsett was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825-1829), and later founded the Smithsonian Institution. Poinsett had attended medical school, but his real love in the scientific field was botany.
Poinsett was enchanted by the brilliant red blooms he saw south of the border. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began propagating the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens.
The poinsettia was first introduced into cultivation and commercial trade by Bartram’s Garden on June 6, 1829 at the first semi-annual exhibition of fruits, flowers and plants, of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
The Paul Ecke Ranch is one of the largest breeders and suppliers of holiday poinsettias.