[22], Besides changing the market from mature plants shipped by rail to cuttings sent by air, he sent free plants to television stations for them to display on air from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Download all free or royalty-free photos and vectors. Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora) is often confused with a closely related species, Milkweed Spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla). It has been hypothesized that the inaccessibility of the canyons may protect the wild populations from human disturbance. If it has grown since the last check, trim the stems back down to 6 inches (15 cm) or to your desired size, leaving 3 or 4 new leaves on the stems. Klaus Lang / Alamy The poinsettia, a red-leafed plant that appears everywhere around Christmastime, first came to the United States in the late 1820s. [17] Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became poinsettias. [27][10][11], To produce extra axillary buds that are necessary for plants containing multiple flowers, a phytoplasma infection—whose symptoms include the proliferation of axillary buds—is used. These bushes are … In 92.4% of calls, there was no effect from exposure, and in 3.4% of calls there were minor effects, defined as "minimally bothersome". The poinsettia is now the number-one flowering potted plant in the United States. Poinsettias are cheery plants that are widely grown indoors over Christmas for their brightly coloured bracts. Your poinsettia plant should have a rounded shape, with dense and compact growth. External exposure to the plant may result in a skin rash for some. They are actually leafy bracts. A conservation risk typical for species with wild and cultivated populations is the contamination of the wild gene pool by hybridization with cultivated individuals. Specific details about its spread from there are largely unverifiable, but it was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 1829 by Colonel Robert Carr. April: Starting April 1, gradually decrease water, allowing the soil to get dry between waterings. Whereas most plants hailing from Euphorbiacea or spurge family contain toxic sap, the sap of E. pulcherrima is very mild in its toxicity and an absurd amount of plant material would have to be consumed to suffer any serious side effects. Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima. Many Americans only see poinsettia plants when they are wrapped in tinsel on the holiday table. [10], The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or María, who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday and was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Wild poinsettia in Thailand. Collecting wild poinsettias in southern Oaxaca in January. Most wild populations are on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. Population sizes are frequently very small, with as few as a dozen individuals. However, take a hand lens to them and you will reveal rather intriguing little structures. Wild poinsettia is capable of germinating under a range of different light, temperature, pH, soil depth, and moisture conditions (Brecke 1995). What exactly is a poinsettia and where do they come from? This individual was flowering with wild morning glory in Chiapas, Mexico. The whole plant and its sap (latex) are used to make medicine. At the same time, changes within the leafy bracts cause them to start producing pigments. Populations can be up to several hundred individuals, but this is not typical. As soon as the days start to grow longer than the nights, the plants switch out of reproductive mode and the dazzling color fades. Wild Euphorbia pulcherrima with lots of red leaves growing in the dense jungle. Fact 5. Poinsettia frost damage can occur at warmer temperatures then you might realize. [10][11] The colors of the bracts are created through photoperiodism, meaning that they require darkness (at least fourteen hours at a time for 6–8 weeks in a row) to change color. The blooms are actually colorful bracts, which appear when the inconspicuous flowers arrive, and … Its natural habitat is thus highly fragmented, particularly near metropolitan areas such as Taxco. Most wild populations are on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. Exposure to the plant, even consumption, most often results in no effect,[4] though it can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.[3]. Certainly it serves an anti-herbivore purpose in the wild, however, as long as you're not a tiny insect or a gluttonous deer, you have nothing to worry about from this species at least. Beautiful poinsettia plants that we associate with the holidays, were cultivated from wild bushes native to Mexico. [13], Aztec people use the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication. [22], Until the 1990s, the Ecke family, who had moved their operation to Encinitas, California, in 1923, had a virtual monopoly on poinsettias owing to a technique that made their plants much more attractive. This plant is one of a few Euphorbias called "Wild Poinsettia" as a common name - the well-known Christmas Poinsettia is also a Euphorbia species (E. The leaves of these wild poinsettias have a couple of curves but not sharp and pointed like the cultivated ones. They became associated with the Christmas holiday and are popular seasonal decorations. Check on your poinsettia once a month. The poinsettia's flowers are actually the small yellow buds in its centre! Condsider keeping these wonderful plants in your home for another year. Wild poinsettia, poinsettia cyathophora, is a colorful Florida native plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. Both red- and white-colored bracts have been found in the wild. They were cultivated by the Aztecs for use in traditional medicine. In captivity, this change is mimicked by plunging plants into complete darkness for a minimum of 12 hours per day. Wild poinsettias occur from Mexico to Guatemala, growing on mid-elevation, Pacific-facing slopes. [4], An attempt to determine a poisonous dose of poinsettia to rats failed, even after reaching experimental doses equivalent to consuming 500 leaves, or nearly 1 kg (2.2 lb) of sap. His son, Paul Ecke, developed the grafting technique, but it was the third generation of Eckes, Paul Ecke Jr., who was responsible for advancing the association between the plant and Christmas. Skin exposure to the sap may cause itchiness, redness, or swelling. pulcherimma. Trejo L(1), Feria Arroyo TP, Olsen KM, Eguiarte LE, Arroyo B, Gruhn JA, Olson ME. In the wild, they grow as perennials, reaching almost 10 feet tall. Conditions that promote poinsettia propagation also favor certain diseases. [18] From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations. [22], Poinsettias are susceptible to several diseases, mostly fungal, but also bacterial and parasitic. [28] The discovery of the role phytoplasmas play in the growth of axillary buds is credited to Ing-Ming Lee of the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Fact 6. [19] The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice of Jesus's crucifixion. Poinsettia Facts 10 Interesting Facts about Poinsettias. [12], The flowers of the poinsettia are unassuming and do not attract pollinators. It is a scraggly shrub that lives in seasonally dry tropical forests. Populations were once found in rolling hill areas, though many have gone extinct. He introduced this tree to the United States in the early 1820s. [22] In the US, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day, marking the anniversary of Joel Roberts Poinsett's death. Bracts are technically leaves but are the plant's way of attracting pollinators in the wild, turning a different colour to entice bees and other bugs to check them out. As the northern hemisphere begins to tilt away from the sun, days grow shorter. Though often stated to be highly toxic, the poinsettia is not dangerous[3] to pets or children. There is a somewhat anomalous population of wild poinsettias in the northern part of the Mexican state of Guerrero and Oaxaca, which is much further inland in the hot and seasonally dry forests than the rest of the species' range. They are so common that it is all too easy to write them off as another disposable houseplant whose only purpose is to dazzle us with a few short weeks of reds and whites. [5] Klotzsch credited Carl Ludwig Willdenow with the species name "pulcherrima", and the authority is given as Willd. Be careful that the stem does not begin to shrivel. Poinsettia with lot of red flowers in rain forest. It is actually a small tropical tree ( Euphorbia pulcherrima) belonging to the Euphorbia plant family. [23][24], The Aztecs were the first to cultivate poinsettias. The holotype had been collected in Mexico during an 1803–1804 expedition by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland. [14] In 1944, the plant was included in H. R. Arnold's book Poisonous Plants of Hawaii on this premise. Legend has it that a poor girl named Pepita had no money to buy a present for Christ, as was customary during Christmas. Because of their beauty, E. pulcherrima is one of the most widely cultivated plants in human history. So there you have it, some food for thought if you feel the urge to purge some spurge in a post-holiday cleanse. Many of these poinsettias are grown by the Ecke family business, which serves half the worldwide market and 70% of the US market. [4] Similarly, a cat or dog's exposure to poinsettias rarely necessitates medical treatment. Those bracts also caught the attention of horticulturists. The poinsettia occurs in Central America, occurring from Mexico to southern Guatemala. It is the first known phytoplasma that has economically advantageous effects. He became intrigued by the plant and sold them from street stands. These shrubs flower throughout winter and into spring. Genetic analyses showed that the wild populations in northern Guerrero are the likely ancestors of most cultivated poinsettias. They produced a fuller, more compact plant by grafting two varieties of poinsettia together. Poinsettias are named for Joel Robert Poinsett (1779-1851), a noted statesman and dedicated amateur botanist who first brought poinsettias to the United States from Mexico in 1825 while serving as ambassador. 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