Intoxicating Poinsettia Hints
As a native of south Florida, I grew up surrounded by poinsettias that GREW IN THE GROUND!!
The ancient Aztecs regarded the poinsettia to be a symbol of purity. Montezuma, the last Aztec king, had poinsettias brought into Mexico City by caravan due to the fact the poinsettia would not grow inside high altitude.
I have two extremely distinct memories of poinsettias from my childhood, other than just taking them for granted. Even though we have been living in West Palm Beach, Florida, we had a hedge, separating our home in the 1 next door, of tall white hibiscus which has a thick row of what we referred to as “fireball” poinsettias in front. It was evidently breathtaking. They had by no means seen anything like it!
The bright petals of poinsettias are in fact leaves or bracts, plus the flowers themselves are extremely tiny and yellow. The Mexican poinsettia is bright red, but poinsettias also come in cream, yellow, pink and peach. Centuries ago, the sap with the poinsettia was accustomed to control fevers plus the bracts have been used to make a reddish dye. Poinsettias can develop to a height of 16′ and thrive in climates where the temperature remains between 50 and 70F.
My second memory of poinsettias was helping my mother make fresh-cut poinsettia arrangements for our home, church and friends. She would send me out early within the morning to cut the poinsettias (from the hedge), burn the cut stems with a match to seal them off and stop the flow from the “milk”, then submerge them in water for a number of hours. We had a large wash tub that we would fill with drinking water and then weight the poinsettias down inside the h2o which has a brick or rock. The poinsettias supposedly soaked up the h2o via their leaves which kept them fresh indefinitely.
As an adult, I had the privilege of studying Spanish in a language school in Cuernavaca, Mexico. I learned there that the “poinsettia” was not a “poinsettia” at all but a Nochebuena-or Christmas Eve flower. After inquiring, it appears that the Nochebuena is native to Cuernavaca and was cultivated by the Aztecs. Since the Aztecs preceded the Spanish in Mexico, their name for your flower-cuetlaxochitl-should possibly be considered to become its “official” name. I must admit that for me, at least, it’s very much simpler to say Nochebuena than Cuetlaxochitl.
According to legend, one particular day near Christmas a Mexican child who was too poor to purchase a present for your Christ kid picked a bouquet of weeds from your side with the road to offer you being a gift. When she reached the church, she went to the altar to provide the bouquet.
You might wish to discover more research on my site dealing with Winter Rose Poinsettia and Poinsettia Decorations.
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