What is the red flower in Christmas?
poinsettia
The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is known all across the world as the flower of Christmas. It is native to the countries of Mexico and Guatemala. Poinsettias are members of the Euphorbiaceae Family and like many plants of this family the poinsettia oozes a milky, latex sap.
What are the red leaves of a poinsettia called?
Bracts are the leaves of poinsettia that change color depending on light exposure. Native to Mexico, poinsettias are in the Euphorbia family and are a popular holiday plant because of their colorful bracts (leaves).
What color are Christmas poinsettias?
The rest is history as they say; the showy red, white and variegated poinsettias are Christmas icons and popular holiday plants.
Are poinsettias red in the wild?
The plant that Poinsett encountered would not necessarily have looked like the short and bushy plant that crowds courtyards today. In the wild, poinsettias can grow into a tall and rangy tree, up to eight feet tall, with blazing red leaves.
What does a red poinsettia symbolize?
We consider them a Christmas flower, and many people give them around Christmas time to symbolise good will and community spirit. In religious communities, the shape of the poinsettia flower is thought to symbolise the Star of Bethlehem, with the red leaves of the poinsettia symbolising the blood of Christ.
Why do poinsettias represent Christmas?
Why Are Poinsettias the Christmas Flower? Native to Mexico, the plant is called Flor de la Noche Buena (Flower of the Holy Night) due to its resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem. In their native region of southern Mexico, poinsettias flower during the winter season.
How long do poinsettias stay red?
You’ll need to keep up this routine for around 4-5 weeks; however, once the bracts have changed color, you can simply enjoy your poinsettia as you did the previous holiday. Maybe you’ll even enjoy it more because you kept it alive for another year! Enjoy last year’s poinsettia again and again.
What do poinsettias represent?
Why poinsettia is known as Christmas flower?
The reason we associate poinsettias with the holidays comes from an old Mexican legend. A young girl named Pepita was sad that she didn’t have a gift to leave for the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve services. Her cousin tried to comfort her and said that Jesus would love any present from her, even the smallest one.
What is the story behind poinsettias?
Poinsettias get their American name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who brought them to the states from Mexico in the early 1800s. They didn’t become traditional holiday decorations until the entrepreneurial Ecke family started promoting them a century later. Paul Ecke Jr.
Why are poinsettias used for Christmas?
What is the purpose of a poinsettia?
Poinsettia is a flowering plant. The whole plant and its sap (latex) are used to make medicine. Despite safety concerns, people take poinsettia to treat fever, stimulate breast milk production, and cause an abortion. They also take the latex for pain, to kill bacteria, and to cause vomiting.
How do you get poinsettias red again?
To make them turn red, you need to restrain exposure to light. As early as September, place it in a room that is exclusively lit up by natural light, and check that it stays in complete darkness for 14 hours on a 24 hour day. Do this for eight weeks!
Why do you put a poinsettia in the dark?
To make a poinsettia bloom in early winter, indoor gardeners simply need to adjust the amount of light and darkness to “fool” the plant, Penhallegon said. In mid- to late October place your poinsettias in a completely dark area from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily until red color starts to develop on the flowers or “bracts.”
Why are poinsettias a Christmas thing?
Is poinsettia a lucky plant?
So, there is a belief that the Poinsettia plant brings good luck to the keeper.
Are poinsettias good luck?
While considered by the ancient Aztecs to be symbols of purity, in today’s language of flowers, red, white or pink poinsettias, the December birth flower, symbolize good cheer and success and are said to bring wishes of mirth and celebration.
What do poinsettias signify?
In the United States and other countries, poinsettias symbolize the Christmas season and the miracles it celebrates. Since these winter plants are often red and green, they fit right in with the holiday hues. Poinsettias also mean joy, cheer, and success, regardless of their color.
Do poinsettias turn red naturally?
Poinsettias are a festive classic, a plant famous for its beautiful red bracts that go very well with Christmas decor. And although poinsettias are often bought as annuals, they actually are perennials and will turn red again with the correct care.
How long does it take a poinsettia to turn red?
The process typically takes at least 40 days, according to Lowe’s. Give the plant limited water during this time, gardening experts say. Although most people think the red on a poinsettia is a flower, the color is actually created by the top leaves of the plant turning red.
How long does a poinsettia live for?
two to three months
How Long Do Poinsettias Last? If cared for properly, a potted poinsettia can last for two to three months in your home. However, some home gardeners with a particularly green thumb may enjoy the challenge of caring for a poinsettia long after Christmas in hopes of a second bloom next holiday.
How do you force a poinsettia to turn red?
When did poinsettias become associated with Christmas?
The poinsettia was first associated with Christmas in southern Mexico in the 1600s, when Franciscan priests used the colorful leaves and bracts to adorn extravagant nativity scenes.
Are poinsettias religious?
Poinsettias were introduced to the U.S. from Mexico by Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett in the early 1800s, but they have been used as a part of religious ceremonies in Mexico for centuries, all the way back to the time of the Aztecs.
What is the story behind the poinsettia?
A Mexican legend tells of a girl who could only offer weeds as a gift to Jesus on Christmas Eve. When she brought the weeds into a church, they blossomed into the beautiful red plants we know as poinsettias, known as Flores de Noche Buena in Mexico (Spanish for “flowers of the holy night”).