Friday Flowers: Poinsettia

Poinsettia

...my mother's garden in Mexico

Today's Friday Flower is not a flower at all but a plant which has top leaves that develop a bright colour. It is strongly associated with the Christmas season in our culture.

Poinsettias are native to the Pacific coast of Mexico. They are named after the first American ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825. They are also known as the Mexican flame leaf, Christmas star, Winter rose, or Noche Buena. Poinsettias are shrubs that reach a height up to 4 m or 16 ft. The top leaves or bracts are flaming red, pink, or white and are often mistaken as flowers. The actual flowers are grouped within the small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch.

The poinsettias in my family's garden in Mexico are large and beautiful and the large shrubs are a far cry from the little potted plants in our grocery stores. Here is the Mexican legend of the Christmas poinsettia...

The legend of the poinsettia comes from Mexico. It tells of a girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo. They were very poor but always looked forward to the Christmas festival. Each year a large manger scene was set up in the village church, and the days before Christmas were filled with parades and parties. The two children loved Christmas but were always saddened because they had no money to buy presents. They especially wished that they could give something to the church for the Baby Jesus. But they had nothing. One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend the service. On their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside and decided to take them as their gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene. Of course they were teased by other children when they arrived with their gift, but they said nothing for they knew they had given what they could. Maria and Pablo began placing the green plants around the manger and miraculously, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by beautiful star-like flowers and so we see them today. (source)

Marbled Pink Poinsettia Cultivar in my house

The Christmas season is fast approaching. I have family from Mexico who are coming to Canada for the next two weeks (starting this weekend!). Writing and reading blog posts will have to take a back burner until after the New Year, but I hope to visit some of my favourite bloggers from time to time.