Original photo by pundapanda/ Shutterstock
Although poinsettias are a multimillion-dollar business in the U.S. today, these fiery plants have ancient roots — they were first cultivated by the Aztecs hundreds of years ago. Native to Mexico and Guatemala, the poinsettia, known to the Aztecs as cuetlaxóchitl (kwet-la-sho-she), was used for medicinal purposes: The milky white sap was thought to increase milk production, dyes derived from the leaves (or bracts) were used in textiles, and some war rituals involved the plant. Poinsettias were also believed to hold magical properties, with one Native legend saying just the smell of a poinsettia could cause infection of the reproductive organs.
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It's a factEgypt is known for its tombs, but Mexico has the largest pyramid in the world. Located in the Mexican state of Puebla, the pyramid measures 4.45 million cubic meters by volume (twice the size of the Pyramid of Giza). Its name, Tlachihualtepetl, means “artificial mountain” in Nahuatl.
So how exactly did these ancient Aztec plants become so closely associated with the winter holidays? Well, the first reason is biology. Poinsettias are typically (but not always) red and green — colors that have been associated with Christmas for millennia. The plant also often reaches full bloom in December. The second part of the equation arrived in the 17th century, when Spanish Franciscan friars used the plant to decorate altars and nativities. When the Vatican eventually used the plant for decoration, other Catholic churches throughout the world weren’t far behind. In the early 20th century, farmers in California began mass-producing the plant in the U.S., and the venerable poinsettia has been a modern holiday must-have ever since.
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Poinsettias are named after a person.
The beautiful red plant that adorns mantles and dining tables during the holiday season is known by many names. The Aztecs called the plant cuetlaxóchitl, meaning “a flower that withers,” while the Maya used the phrase k’alul wits (“ember flower”). The Spanish friars of the 17th century called it flor de Nochebuena, or “Holy Night flower,” while other parts of Latin America used flor de Pascuas, or “Easter flower.” But in the U.S., Euphorbia pulcherrima goes by another name — poinsettia. The name is an homage to the U.S.’s first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. An amateur botanist, Poinsett became enamored with the plant when he came across it while staying in Taxco, Mexico. Poinsett brought specimens back to his greenhouses in the U.S. around 1825 and sent clippings to a specialist in Philadelphia, who eventually christened the plant Euphorbia poinsettia. Unfortunately, Poinsett’s legacy outside horticultural circles is a troubling one, as he was an enslaver and expansionist, and interfered so much in Mexican politics that he was removed from his post by a request from the Mexican president in 1829. Because the name is both controversial and divorced from its Mesoamerican roots, some people now call this holiday favorite by its original name — cuetlaxóchitl.
Darren Orf lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes about all things science and climate. You can find his previous work at Popular Mechanics, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Paste, among others.
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