How Poinsettias Became THE Holiday Plant

There are many things that remind us of the holiday season. Hot cocoa, snowmen, Christmas Trees, and falling snow. But when you picture your decorated holiday table, there is usually a festive plant as well- the Poinsettia. This holiday classic is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Each year, over 70 million Poinsettias are sold in the United States during a 6-week period, making them a staple of the Christmas season- but how? And why? I decided to do some digging into this yule tide annual, to understand where it came from, and how it became so popular.

Poinsettias are famous for their bright red leaves- or bracts. These bracts are often mistaken as the flower, which is a small, not so radiant cluster, found in the center of the leaves. The bright red foliage is the most common color found during the holidays, but Poinsettias also come in over 100 colors including pink, green, orange, and white. Interestingly, the color of the bracts is determined by a process called Photoperiodism. This means the amount of sunlight vs. darkness, which changes with the seasons. Longer darkness periods (14 hours of darkness for 6-8 weeks) result in the bright red hue that the Poinsettia is famous for.

Contrary to popular belief, the Poinsettia plant is nontoxic to humans and animals. This urban legend began, after 2 children who were said to have ingested the leaves passed away. In truth, it never even happened. Despite being untrue, the FDA released a statement that “even one Poinsettia leaf can be deadly”. This caused people to turn their back on the scarlet beauty, even becoming prohibited in certain places. Studies on rats proved that the plant is not lethal, although if ingested could cause an upset stomach.

Poinsettias are indigenous to Mexico, and Central America and were introduced to the US by Joel Roberts Poinsett in the 1820s. Its popularity can be attributed to the Ecke family, who started by selling them at street stands in 1909. After realizing their natural floppy, weed-like look could be improved, the family came up with a new grafting method- cross breeding 2 varieties, to make the plant more desirable. This enhanced their fullness and made them more compact. After perfecting their habit, they began pushing the holiday favorite, and even took the plant to late night talk shows in the 1960s to help promote them. Soon the Eckes family had controlled the market on Poinsettia, at one point contributing to 70% of the domestic market. Eventually, their grafting process was published, allowing other growers to follow in their footsteps. Today, the Ecke family is out of the Poinsettia business, but growers in California continue to produce Poinsettia today, capitalizing on the Holiday cash crop.

The Poinsettia is a Christmas staple that lives on beyond just the winter season. By keeping up with water, fertilizer, and trimming schedule, you can keep them happy all year long. With the added bonus of being nontoxic, there is no need to worry about you or your animals falling ill. Although there is no true reason for these plants to be associated with the holidays- other than excellent marketing, they do not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.