Poinsettias sure get around

It wouldn’t be Christmas without them, but I have a hard time deciding if they’re a plant or a Christmas decoration. It’s such a firmly entrenched tradition that I dare say most are purchased with the latter in mind. They’re available in colours and patterns to match any decor. That’s the poinsettia, of course, and the number produced is mind boggling. By Christmas, it’s unlikely anyone indoors in North America is more than a few steps from one.

It all began with a German immigrant to the U.S. in 1900. Although introduced to the country in 1828 by botanist and Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, noted as the 'official discoverer’, it’s thanks to that German farmer, Albert Ecke and his descendants that you’re likely looking at one now.

Intrigued by the poinsettia, Albert began selling the plants at street stands in Los Angeles. His son Paul improved the plants giving them a bushier, more comely appearance, rather than the original weedy plant. It was then grandson Paul Ecke Junior’s turn to advance the association with Christmas.

He did this by sending free plants to television stations where they were displayed on air in the weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas. He even appeared as a guest on the Tonight Show and on Bob Hope's Christmas specials to promote the plants. By the 1990s, the Ecke family held a virtual monopoly on production.

That changed when university researcher John Dole discovered the secret of how the family developed their unique poinsettias. After Dole published it, competitors began producing plants using low-cost labour in Latin America. The Ecke family business no longer grows poinsettias in the US, but still has a huge market share worldwide.

I don’t remember when I saw my first poinsettia, but it was here in Canada. As a Christmas plant they took off first in North America, but the rest of the world is catching up. Holly and mistletoe have been popular in Europe for centuries. Now, those traditional Christmas plants have been overtaken by the poinsettia. South Africa and Australia are catching up. In Australia, they’re also forced into bloom for Christmas. Given the climate there, they can be happily grown in the garden as well. Wouldn’t that be nice?

As a winter flower, it’s becoming popular in China, Japan, and South Korea where Christmas, at least the commercial aspect, has found a place. Despite different cultural traditions, it comes as a surprise to many travelers to cities in East Asian countries to discover Christmas trees on display in shopping malls, so it’s no wonder the poinsettia is appearing there as well.

In Turkey, much closer to the origin of Christmas, but with no connection, the poinsettia was being cultivated long before Europe was aware of it. It was simply an attractive winter plant that became popular because it was a favourite of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, first president of modern-day Turkey. Hence the poinsettia became known there as Atatürk's Flower, probably the only flower named after a politician, other than Joel Roberts Poinsett.

It can now be found growing wild in Turkey, where the climate, similar in places to Mexico, suits it. In fact, due to its proliferation as a houseplant around the world, where the climate does agree with it, there’s every chance poinsettia could become an invasive plant in the wild. Imagine a world in which there’s one in sight wherever you look — maybe not.

I confess I’m a reluctant admirer of the poinsettia, however, I was amazed the first time I ever saw one growing naturally outdoors. It was over two metres high, clambering up the side of a funeral parlour in Lahaina, Hawaii, and I thought it looked wonderful. Then again, it was January and the soft ocean breezes and ukulele music might have had some effect on my opinion.