The holotype had been collected in Mexico during an 1803–1804 expedition by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland. 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. This individual was flowering with wild morning glory in Chiapas, Mexico. Brecke (1995) found that wild poinsettia can withstand soil pH ranges from 2.5 to 10 and is capable of germinating from depths of as much as 6-inches 2 to 3 weeks after planting. Euphorbia cyathophora - Wild Poinsettia, Mexican Fireplant, Fire on the Mountain, Painted Euphorbia, Desert Poinsettia. When the days become shorter than the nights, the plants go into full reproductive mode. Both red- and white-colored bracts have been found in the wild. [10] In Spain it is known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Easter flower. Poinsettias are part of the Euphorbiaceae or Spurge family. Populations were once found in rolling hill areas, though many have gone extinct. A poinsettia left to grow on its own will naturally take an open, somewhat weedy look. Poinsettias are tropical plants. They are grouped within the cyathia (small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, or false flowers). In more temperate climates, it grows much smaller, even sometimes dwarfish, which is ideal to decorate tables. [22], Poinsettias are susceptible to several diseases, mostly fungal, but also bacterial and parasitic. These trees, in their wild form widely grow across Mexico to Guatemala. pulcherimma. As soon as the days start to grow longer than the nights, the plants switch out of reproductive mode and the dazzling color fades. One population in the Mexican state of Guerrero is much further inland, however, and is thought to be the ancestor of most cultivated populations. Wild Mexican Poinsettia. Wild Euphorbia pulcherrima with lots of red leaves growing in the dense jungle. No one quite knows the exact origin of our cultivated house guests but the species itself is native to the mountains of the Pacific slope of Mexico. Poinsettia is the common name given to a species of shrub known scientifically as Euphorbia pulcherrima. 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. Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima. While in Mexico, he collected samples of a wild plant that could grow 12-15 feet in height. Poinsettia's wild ancestor in the Mexican dry tropics: Historical, genetic, and environmental evidence. So why is the Poinsettia so popular at Christmas? [10] In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuetlaxochitl, meaning "flower that grows in residues or soil"[10] Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as flor de Nochebuena, meaning Christmas Eve flower. This has not been documented in wild poinsettias though, as cultivars seldom flower and do not produce fruits. In fact, the whole function of these bracts is to save energy on flower production by coloring up leaves that are already in place. What we think of as large, showy, red and white flower petals are not petals at all. The key to the color change lies in Earth’s axial tilt. When the days become shorter than the nights, the plants go into full reproductive mode. It is actually a small tropical tree ( Euphorbia pulcherrima) belonging to the Euphorbia plant family. Don’t throw your poinsettia away! Exposure to the plant, even consumption, most often results in no effect,[4] though it can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.[3]. The poinsettia grows wild in humid subtropical areas in Central America. [10] Nothing is known about pollination in wild poinsettias, though wasps are noted to occasionally visit the cyathia. The poinsettia (/pɔɪnˈsɛtiə/ or /pɔɪnˈsɛtə/)[1][2] (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Every year in the US, approximately 70 million poinsettias of many cultivated varieties are sold in a six-week period. The poinsettia's flowers are actually the small yellow buds in its centre! Poinsettias are shrubs or small trees, with heights of 0.6–4 m (2.0–13.1 ft). We investigated the potential fitness cost associated to the Ser-653-Asn mutation that confers imazamox resistance in this weed. Check on your poinsettia once a month. The leaves of these wild poinsettias have a couple of curves but not sharp and pointed like the cultivated ones. This tree is covered with large green leaves during the summer rainy season. Klaus Lang / Alamy The poinsettia, a red-leafed plant that appears everywhere around Christmastime, first came to the United States in the late 1820s. Its range is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) long, encompassing mid-elevation tropical dry forests. Pinch small shoots off in order to encourage bushiness. Wild poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla L.) is a difficult-to-control weed in soybean production in Brazil that has developed resistance to herbicides, including acetolactate synthase inhibitors. It is the first known phytoplasma that has economically advantageous effects. Euphorbia cyathophora, Wild Poinsettia, herbaceous plant with red leaves especially in basal part, surrounding cyathia infl The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) also known as Christmas Star, is a shrub or small tree of diverse spurge family. In fact, the poinsettia tree is named after the first US minister to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. Wild poinsettia, poinsettia cyathophora, is a colorful Florida native plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. Poinsettia Facts 10 Interesting Facts about Poinsettias. Mature specimens can grow to be so large and lanky that they almost resemble vines. It has been hypothesized that the inaccessibility of the canyons may protect the wild populations from human disturbance. Poinsettia frost damage can occur at warmer temperatures then you might realize. Poinsettia is a type of small tropical tree that belongs to the spurge family. Another aspect worth considering about this species is its sap. Poinsettia with lot of red flowers in rain forest. How Overharvesting is Changing an Alpine Plant in China, Why Plant Relationships Matter for Caterpillars, The Knife-Edge Economy of Panama's Trash-Basket Treelet. Download all free or royalty-free photos and vectors. [26] There are over 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia that have been patented in the US. [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. External exposure to the plant may result in a skin rash for some. Fact 6. Legend has it that a poor girl named Pepita had no money to buy a present for Christ, as was customary during Christmas. He also appeared on television programs like The Tonight Show and Bob Hope's Christmas specials to promote the plants. [25] In Puerto Rico, where poinsettias are grown extensively in greenhouses, the industry is valued at $5 million annually. 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. Those bracts also caught the attention of horticulturists. If they don’t have to produce pigments, they won’t and for much of the year, the bracts are largely green. They are often disposed of once they start to fade, but with a little care, you can keep them all year and the bracts will colour up again the following year. Poinsett was a botanist, physician and the first United States Ambassador to Mexico. [15] Contact with any part of the plant by children or pets often has no effect, though it may cause nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting if swallowed. He became intrigued by the plant and sold them from street stands. As many a poinsettia owner has come to realize, the bracts do not stay colored up all year. Many Americans only see poinsettia plants when they are wrapped in tinsel on the holiday table. The Ecke family's business, now led by Paul Ecke III, decided to stop producing plants in the US, but as of 2008, they still served about 70 percent of the domestic market and 50 percent of the worldwide market. [12], The flowers of the poinsettia are unassuming and do not attract pollinators. What the flowers lack in showy display is made up for by the colorful bracts, which serve similar functions as petals in that their stunning colors are there to attract potential pollinators. However, take a hand lens to them and you will reveal rather intriguing little structures. In a tropical environment. The poinsettia is now the number-one flowering potted plant in the United States. Nature view of Wild Poinsettia plants for background and wallpaper. January to March: Keep watering the poinsettia whenever the surface is dry. Its natural habitat is thus highly fragmented, particularly near metropolitan areas such as Taxco. The whole plant and its sap (latex) are used to make medicine. If that’s your experience, it’s time you learned about growing poinsettia plants outside. So there you have it, some food for thought if you feel the urge to purge some spurge in a post-holiday cleanse. [23][24], The Aztecs were the first to cultivate poinsettias. Most wild populations are on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. [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. 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. 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 colorful blooms on the poinsettia plant are actually leaves that become pigmented when the days are shorter than the nights in the winter and spring. It is a scraggly shrub that lives in seasonally dry tropical forests. In rare cases, exposure to the eye may result in eye irritation. With all of the focus on those colorful bracts, it is also easy to lose sight of the fact that these plants have wild origins. They were cultivated by the Aztecs for use in traditional medicine. Large plant of It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. These shrubs flower throughout winter and into spring. Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora) is often confused with a closely related species, Milkweed Spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla). In turn, poinsettia plants begin to mature their flowers. In the wild, they grow as perennials, reaching almost 10 feet tall. [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. Many of these poinsettias are grown by the Ecke family business, which serves half the worldwide market and 70% of the US market. There is a specific poinsettia variety growing in Guerrero (Mexico). Beautiful poinsettia plants that we associate with the holidays, were cultivated from wild bushes native to Mexico. [20], Poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations[21] in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America, as a result of an extensive marketing campaign by the Ecke family that began by shipping free poinsettias to television stations for use on-air. It originates from Mexico and Central America, but it can be found in subtropical areas around the world today. [14] In 1944, the plant was included in H. R. Arnold's book Poisonous Plants of Hawaii on this premise. [8] Cultivation in the US began when diplomat Joel Roberts Poinsett sent some of the plants back to his greenhouses in South Carolina in the 1820s. [4] This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf. Easy to grow, it crowds out weeds and attracts butterflies such as the white peacock and honeybees that drink nectar from its tiny flowers. [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. Upon finding the Poinsettia shrub in the wild, he brought samples back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. Poinsettia: How a wild shrub became potted-plant shorthand for the holidays The improbable, remarkable rise of the poinsettia, and its namesake's roots in South Carolina. Though Arnold later admitted that the story was hearsay and that poinsettias were not proven to be poisonous, the plant was thus thought deadly. Bacterial diseases include bacterial soft rot and bacterial canker, while a viral disease is Poinsettia mosaic virus. At the same time, changes within the leafy bracts cause them to start producing pigments. The plants also require abundant light during the day for the brightest color. Wild poinsettias often flower when leafless or nearly so. As of 2012, wild poinsettias are not protected by Mexican law. This is a sign the plant is too stressed and is dying. The native euphorbia most deserving of cultivation and a place in the flower-bed is a close relative of pulcherrima. Its range is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) long, encompassing mid-elevation tropical dry forests. Conditions that promote poinsettia propagation also favor certain diseases. Because of their beauty, E. pulcherrima is one of the most widely cultivated plants in human history. Poinsettia grows in the wild in Mexico where it easily caps off at six feet (two meters) tall. It has been hypothesized that the inaccessibility of the canyons may protect the wild populations from human disturbance. [17] Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became poinsettias. Fact 5. What exactly is a poinsettia and where do they come from? An old Mexican story may give us the answer. This latter species has leaves that are usually unlobed and often toothless, and its leafy bracts are rarely, if ever, red. [29], Albert Ecke emigrated from Germany to Los Angeles in 1900, opening a dairy and orchard in the Eagle Rock area. [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. Indigenous to Central America, it was described as a new species in 1834. [9] Prior to poinsettia, it was known as "Mexican flame flower" or "painted leaf". Infection by poinsettia branch-inducing phytoplasma is actually desirable, as it keeps the plants shorter with more flowers. Eventually, the Poinsettia was named after Joel R. Poinsett. They became associated with the Christmas holiday and are popular seasonal decorations. [16], The poinsettia occurs in Central America, occurring from Mexico to southern Guatemala. The flowers themselves are small, yellow, and not much to look at with the naked eye. 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. No flower says Christmas like the beautiful poinsettia. In captivity, this change is mimicked by plunging plants into complete darkness for a minimum of 12 hours per day. 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. They are actually leafy bracts. The poinsettias in the wild, untouched by man looks like these. The plant bears dark green dentate leaves that measure 7–16 centimetres (2.8–6.3 in) in length. 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. Wild poinsettia is capable of germinating under a range of different light, temperature, pH, soil depth, and moisture conditions (Brecke 1995). [13], Poinsettias are popularly, though incorrectly, said to be toxic to humans and other animals. As the northern hemisphere begins to tilt away from the sun, days grow shorter. In it native habitat, these plants may grow to 12 to 15 feet tall. Poinsettia grows in deciduous tropical forests and seasonally dry forests in the wild. Population sizes are frequently very small, with as few as a dozen individuals. Overview Information Poinsettia is a flowering plant. 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. [4] Similarly, a cat or dog's exposure to poinsettias rarely necessitates medical treatment. The hybrid ones have darker/brighter colors, bigger leaves and leaves are shaped almost like holly. They produced a fuller, more compact plant by grafting two varieties of poinsettia together. [13], The tropical dry forests where wild poinsettias grow experience largely unregulated deforestation, resulting in habitat loss. Skin exposure to the sap may cause itchiness, redness, or swelling. In turn, poinsettia plants begin to mature their flowers. This plant that was developed into our current poinsettia looked a little different. Unlike modern poinsettias, the center is very open, which exposes the true flowers, and the floral bracts are narrow and droopy. [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. Populations were once found in rolling hill areas, though many have gone extinct. [7], The poinsettia is the world's most economically important potted plant. 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. If you live in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12, you can begin planting poinsettia outdoors. [3] A survey of more than 20,000 calls to the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 1985–1992 related to poinsettia exposure showed no fatalities. In the 1800s, Dr. Joel R. Poinsett introduced the Poinsettia to the United States around 1825. [13], Aztec people use the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication. Did you know that in the wild or planted in tropical climates, the poinsettia can reach heights of 12 feet with leaves measuring six to eight inches across? Below is the wild Mexican poinsettia like the plants that Joel Poinsett collected in 1828. [13] Each year in the US, approximately 70 million poinsettias are sold in a period of six weeks, at a value of US$250 million. 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. Poinsettia. [10] In Chile and Peru, the plant became known as Crown of the Andes. But poinsettias are native to tropical forests of southern Mexico and Central America, where they grow in the wild as bushes or small trees. ex Klotzsch. A conservation risk typical for species with wild and cultivated populations is the contamination of the wild gene pool by hybridization with cultivated individuals. These species were found in the mountains of the Mexican Pacific slope. The Eckes' technique made it possible to get every seedling to branch, resulting in a bushier plant. The poinsettia was described as a new species in 1834 by German scientist Johann Friedrich Klotzsch. [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. [22] In the US, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day, marking the anniversary of Joel Roberts Poinsett's death. Both red- and white-colored bracts have been found in the wild. Wild poinsettia in Thailand. [6], It was known by the common name "poinsettia" as early as 1836,[7] derived from Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist and the first US Minister to Mexico. The colored bracts—which are normally flaming red, with cultivars being orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled—are often mistaken for flower petals because of their groupings and colors, but are actually leaves. Poinsettias are famous the world over for the splash of color they provide indoor spaces during the colder months of the year. In 1970 the US Food and Drug Administration published a newsletter stating erroneously that "one poinsettia leaf can kill a child", and in 1980 they were prohibited from nursing homes in a county in North Carolina due to this supposed toxicity. Author information: (1)Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México DF, México. Learn a few facts about this traditional Christmas plant. He introduced this tree to the United States in the early 1820s. Poinsettia Facts. In Indonesia. [7], Euphorbia pulcherrima is a shrub or small tree, typically reaching a height of 0.6–4 metres (2–13 ft). Most wild populations are on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. Fungal diseases affecting greenhouse poinsettia operations include Pythium root rot, Rhizoctonia root and stem rot, black root rot, scab, powdery mildew, and Botrytis blight. [32], Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, American Association of Poison Control Centers, "Beschreibung zweier neuen Euphorbien aus Mexico", "The Poinsettia: History and Transformation", "Poinsettia's wild ancestor in the Mexican dry tropics: Historical, genetic, and environmental evidence", "The Legends and Traditions of Holiday Plants | Horticulture and Home Pest News", "The Legends and Traditions of Holiday Plants", "The poinsettia: Jesus' life story in a plant", "The bloom is off the poinsettia business", "How America's Most Popular Potted Plant Captured Christmas", "First Report of Wilt and Stem Canker of Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) Caused by Phytophthora nicotianae in Puerto Rico", "Poinsettias: Helping an Icon to Bloom at the Right Time", "How Poinsettias Became Synonymous With Christmas", Plant Pathology Fact Sheet: Poinsettia Diseases, List of Christmas gift-bringers by country, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poinsettia&oldid=990655662, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 November 2020, at 19:25. Populations can be up to several hundred individuals, but this is not typical. Condsider keeping these wonderful plants in your home for another year. Poinsettia (Poinsettia) is derived from the genus Euphorbia and it has around 24 species. Natural green plants landscape. Your poinsettia plant should have a rounded shape, with dense and compact growth. There is a somewhat anomalous population of wild poinsettia… Poinsettias grow wild in Mexico and Guatemala, warm regions with mild nights. Here we listed some sub-species of Poinsettia. The branches of poinsettia are often long, thin, sprawling and nearly viny. Plant grows in the partial shade, in areas that are frost-free. These bushes are … [18] From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who is credited with introducing the plant to the US in the 1820s. The blooms are actually colorful bracts, which appear when the inconspicuous flowers arrive, and … The name "poinsettia" is seemingly synonymous with the holiday season. Genetic analyses showed that the wild populations in northern Guerrero are the likely ancestors of most cultivated poinsettias. Your Wild Poinsettia Bloom stock images are ready. Wild poinsettias occur from Mexico to Guatemala, growing on mid-elevation, Pacific-facing slopes. Trejo L(1), Feria Arroyo TP, Olsen KM, Eguiarte LE, Arroyo B, Gruhn JA, Olson ME. This annual re-seeds freely with seed capsules that throw the seeds a great distance when the capsule dries and bursts open. [30], In the late 1980s, university researcher John Dole[31] discovered the method previously known only to the Eckes and published it, allowing competitors to flourish, particularly those using low-cost labor in Latin America. Like a vast majority of Euphorbia species, E. pulcherrima produces a special type of inflorescence called a cyathium. At the same time, changes within the leafy bracts cause them to start producing pigments. [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. Description "Wild poinsettia tree, with colorful leaves, growing in Central America.Taken in El Salvador.Please view related images below or click on the banner lightbox links to view additional images, from related categories." Though often stated to be highly toxic, the poinsettia is not dangerous[3] to pets or children. Be careful that the stem does not begin to shrivel. [5] Klotzsch credited Carl Ludwig Willdenow with the species name "pulcherrima", and the authority is given as Willd. The Painted Poinsettia, Euphorbia cyathophora, has bracts that turn an intense day-glo orange-red, and the most amazing fiddle-shaped leaves. April: Starting April 1, gradually decrease water, allowing the soil to get dry between waterings. Collecting wild poinsettias in southern Oaxaca in January. If you follow their natural daylight cycle, you may just coax some color out of them for many winters to come. Wild poinsettia populations are highly fragmented, as their habitat is experiencing largely unregulated deforestation. [8] Possibly as early as 1826, Poinsett began sending poinsettias from Mexico back to his greenhouses in South Carolina. If ingested, mild drooling or vomiting can occur, or rarely, diarrhea. The poinsettia occurs in Central America, occurring from Mexico to southern Guatemala. Poinsettias are cheery plants that are widely grown indoors over Christmas for their brightly coloured bracts.