No Christmas holiday is complete without the poinsettia. Before it was called poinsettia, the bright red plant was called cuetlaxochitl (kut-la-sho-she) by the Aztecs. In Mexico, the poinsettia is a perennial shrub that can grow 10 to 15 ft. tall.
The poinsettia has been included in Christmas celebrations in Mexico since the 17th century. The star shaped leaf pattern is said to represent the Star of Bethlehem and the color red symbolizes the blood of Jesus.
There are many legends about the poinsettia. One tells of a poor Mexican girl, who wanted to place an offering at the altar for the baby Jesus, but she could find no flowers, so she gathered up a handful of weeds. The people of the village told her she could not place weeds on the altar, but her brother told her that her gift would be appreciated. Since it was the only offering she had, she lay the weeds on the altar and the weeds miraculously burst into beautiful red flowers. The poinsettia was born and each year it blooms at Christmas.
Joel Roberts Poinsett was responsible for bringing the flower to South Carolina. Poinsett was a unique person. He studied medicine in Edinburgh and law in Charleston. President James Madison appointed him Minister to Mexico to promote trade in South America. He served as a state legislator and Congressman. President Millard Fillmore selected him to serve as Secretary of War. It is rumored that he even served as a “confidential agent” for President Andrew Jackson.
But, as a botanist, he took time to “smell the flowers,” in this case the brilliant red flower that would carry his name. During his term as Minister to Mexico, the botanist Poinsett brought the passionate red plant to his Greenville home.
Most botanists dismissed the poinsettia as a weed at that time, but Poinsett continued to study and propagate the plant. He shared his findings with his horticulturist friends.
The Aztecs used the milky sap of the poinsettia to control fevers and the bracts (leaves) were used to make a purple dye used in clothing and cosmetics.
The poisonous poinsettia rumors started more than one hundred years ago when a child was found dead near a poinsettia plant and it was assumed that she had eaten part of the plant. The rumor quickly spread. Back then they didn’t have CSI teams or forensics and no autopsy was performed.
According to the Mayo Clinic, poinsettia plants are less toxic than once believed. In some cases, exposure to poinsettia sap can cause a mild itchy rash. If the sap gets in the eye, the eye may become red and irritated and you should flush it with water. If you should eat part of the plant, you may experience a mild stomachache, vomiting or diarrhea.
A study at Ohio State University determined that a 50 lb. child would have to eat more than 500 leaves before it would have a harmful effect. However, the leaves taste awful. If you are worried that your child will want to eat the poinsettia, all you have to say is “don’t eat that leaf, it tastes like kale.”
Congress has declared December 12 as national poinsettia day in recognition of Joel Poinsett, who died on December 12 in 1852. The Poinsett Hotel, now the Westin-Poinsett, was also named in honor of Joel Poinsett. A statue of Poinsett sits calmly on a bench in the plaza in front of the Poinsett Hotel. I wonder what he is thinking.
Lynda’s mother sang at the Poinsett Hotel on Saturday nights. You can reach Lynda at lyndaabegg@charter.net. Opinions expressed in this column are reflective of the writer only and are not necessarily shared by the newspaper.