Are poinsettias grown in Mexico?

Poinsettias Are Mexico’s Heritage To The Holidays — Thanks To A US Diplomat. Rubén Ordaz and his family have been selling poinsettias in Mexico City for decades. All of them are grown in Xochimilco, an agricultural neighborhood at the southern city limits.

What is the connection between poinsettias and Mexico?

Poinsettias get their American name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who brought them to the states from Mexico in the early 1800s. They didn’t become traditional holiday decorations until the entrepreneurial Ecke family started promoting them a century later.

How big do poinsettias grow in Mexico?

In nature, Poinsettias are perennial flowering shrubs that were once considered weeds. In subtropical and tropical regions, they can be grown outside year-round. In these regions, they grow as a shrub, and can reach up to 15 feet tall. They can also be pruned to form a tree.

What are poinsettias used for in Mexico?

Poinsettias’ association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them at the church altar.

Where is the origin of the poinsettia plant?

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. It is a scraggly shrub that lives in seasonally dry tropical forests. Mature specimens can grow to be so large and lanky that they almost resemble vines.

Can you grow poinsettias in Zone 9?

Poinsettias are native to Mexico. If you live in Zone 9-10 you can grow them year round outside. Otherwise, you’ll need to grow them in a container that can be moved indoors before frost each year and outside again when it warms up. Your comment…

Are there any health problems associated with poinsettias?

The illnesses that some people suffer just from being around poinsettia plants (without even touching them) are worse yet (for example, difficulty in breathing). In extreme cases, anaphylaxis can result. Some readers with latex allergy have shared their personal stories about health problems stemming from contact with these colorful plants.

How tall does a poinsettia grow in a greenhouse?

There, it is a deciduous flowering shrub, growing up to 10 feet in height. Intolerant of the cold, in the North, it is grown almost exclusively indoors. The plants are raised in greenhouses (it is big business), to be sold as potted flowers for the holidays.

How did the Poinsettia get to the United States?

In Mexico, the poinsettia is called “flores de nochebuena,” which translates as flowers of the Holy Night. The poinsettia made it way to the United States in the early 1800’s through the efforts of the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett.

When is the best time to plant poinsettias?

Poinsettias bloom when the days get shorter. The colorful “flowers” of poinsettias are actually modified leaves called “bracts.” Poinsettias grow well in moist soil and temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees F. They can be grown outdoors during summer.

Is it okay to keep poinsettias in room temperature?

It should be room temperature and not cold. Some poinsettias are (wrongfully) kept refrigerated prior to display in stores and this can cause a slow death. Avoid plant displays by the front of the store where automatic doors are letting bursts of cold air in. The plant may look okay today, but a week from now it may die off.

What did the Aztecs use the Poinsettia for?

We have to delve into the sordid history of the poinsettia plant to find the answer. Long before Christianity reached the western hemisphere, the Aztecs cultivated poinsettia plants for a variety of medicinal purposes. These ten-foot-tall woody shrubs were hardly the dainty centerpieces which garnish our modern holiday tables.