Poinsettias: The complex history behind the Christmas symbol

The poinsettia, a staple in U.S. holiday decor, boasts over 100 varieties and generates around $250 million annually. Originating from Mexico and Central America, the plant was introduced to the U.S. and named after the controversial American figure, Joel Roberts Poinsett.

The plant, known as “Cuetlaxóchitl,” means “a flower that withers” in Nahuatl. The plant has deep-rooted pre-Columbian significance, utilized by the Aztecs for various purposes, including war and spiritual rituals.

Aztecs used the Poinsettia’s sap to make medicine for treating fevers, and applied the crushed plant to skin infections. Today, the Poinsettia is primarily an ornamental plant with little medicinal applications.

In the 17th century, Franciscan friars used the vibrant plant post-Spanish conquest to decorate altars and evangelize indigenous populations, renaming it “flor de Nochebuena” (Holy Night flower) due to its Christmas blooming.

Coming to America

In 1825, Joel Poinsett, became the first U.S. minister to Mexico. His foreign policy, including acquiring Texas, and reducing British influence, made him unpopular, leading to demands for his removal from Mexico.

Surprisingly, during his time in Mexico, Poinsett found time to pursue his interest in botany. He unknowingly sparked the popular poinsettia, named in his honor.

Poinsett sent one of his specimens to Robert Buist, a famous Philadelphia botanist with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, who exhibited the plant for the first time at a flower show in 1829.

In the early 20th century, Albert Ecke played a pivotal role in the industrial-scale cultivation of poinsettias in Encinitas, California. His son, Paul, inherited the business in 1919, eventually holding around 500 plant patents. Poinsettias account for 60% of cuttings exported to global markets.

In 2002, Congress officially designated Dec. 12 as National Poinsettia Day to commemorate Poinsett’s legacy and his death in 1851.

Poinsett Controversy

Joel Poinsett was born in 1779 to wealthy slave owners in South Carolina. He owned a plantation on the Peedee River. Despite being a slave owner, Poinsett advocated for the gradual abolition of slavery in the 1830s, a stance contrasting with the prevailing view in South Carolina that sought to preserve and expand slavery.

During his time in Mexico in 1829 he sent a letter to Secretary of State Martin Van Buren. Poinsett had a pessimistic view of the Mexican character and of the nation’s potential for progress.

“The character of this people cannot be understood, nor the causes of their present condition be fully developed without recurring to the oppression under which they formerly laboured,” Poinsett wrote. “It would lead you into error to compare them with the free and civilized nations of America and Europe in the Nineteenth Century.”

Secretary Joel Poinsett, heading the War Department from 1837-1841, faced allegations of incompetence and cruelty during a prolonged and expensive campaign aimed at subjugating and relocating the Seminole Indians from their tribal lands in Florida during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).

During this tenure, American forces adopted significantly harsher tactics against the Seminoles, including the seizure of tribal leaders like Osceola under flags of truce.