Mexico is the homeland of the poinsettia, but the flower’s world conquest began in the United States. Originally hontelo, a herbaceous plant that loves warm weather, became a million-dollar business.
The poinsettia’s journey to becoming the world’s most popular Christmas flower began at the beginning of the 19th century. The first US ambassador to Mexico Joel Roberts Poinsett saw the flower for the first time in 1830 and was captivated by its beauty.
Poinsett, a keen botanist, sent cuttings of the flower to the United States, where it began to be cultivated. Got a poinsettia In the United States, the name (you will switch to another service) According to its “discoverer” – the flower began to be called “poinsettia”.
Million business of one family
Poinsettias at full power commercialization (you switch to another service) started in the 1950s, when a garden entrepreneur who smelled the business Paul Ecke sent free samples of the flower for television broadcasts and bred an ornamental plant that looked like the flower. Within a few years, the Mexican herb became a favorite of flower shows and garden magazines.
Before this, Paul Ecke had refined and patented (you switch to another service) dozens of different varieties of poinsettia. No one on the farm knew the breeding technique, but the secret was passed down from father to son.
By the 1990s, the family practically had a poinsettia monopoly and cuttings were sold to other growers for a royalty. In total, there were more than 150 patents for different varieties.
Sacred herb of the Aztecs
However, the history of the poinsettia began well before the arrival of the Americans. For the Aztecs of Mexico, the poinsettia was a sacred herb. It was called cuetlaxocthitl, meaning “flower that withers”.
For the Aztecs, the plant symbolized the new life of dead soldiers. Poinsettia was also used medicinally to treat coughs, angina and skin infections
Later in the 16th century, Franciscan monks gave the poinsettia the name “Flor de Noche Buena”, which means “flower of the holy night”. The monks noticed that the flower reaches its glory just at Christmas time and started decorating churches with it.
Half of the poinsettia patents are owned by the Ecke family
Although many other breeders have entered the poinsettia market, the Ecke family still owns almost half of the variety’s patents.
That’s why Mexican farmers have to even today to pay for growing a refined poinsettia (you switch to another service) Stateside.
In the forests of Mexico, on the other hand, the poinsettia still grows wild. It can grow up to three meters tall.
The favorite flower of Finns
Even in Finland, the poinsettia is one of the most popular Christmas flowers. Natural Resources Center (you switch to another service) according to 2.5 million hyacinths, 1.5 million poinsettias and 1.2 million amaryllis were grown in Finnish greenhouses last year.
The poinsettia came to decorate Finns’ Christmas tables in the 1960s, when a variety suitable for the northern hemisphere was developed in Norway.