A flower for the festive season
No flower says Christmas like the beautiful poinsettia.
ALSO known as the Christmas Star and Christmas Flower, it’s said that the poinsettia’s association with Christmas comes from a Mexican legend.
The story goes that a child, with no means for a grander gift, gathered humble weeds from the side of the road to place at the church altar on Christmas Eve. As the congregation witnessed a Christmas miracle, the weeds turned into brilliant red and green flowers.
Named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, first United States ambassador to Mexico and the amateur botanist who introduced the plant to the US in 1825, the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is also known as Mexican Flame Leaf, Winter Rose, Noche Buena and, in Turkey, Atakurk’s Flower, because it was the favorite flower of Atakurk, the founder of modern Turkey.
While considered by the ancient Aztecs to be symbols of purity, in today’s language of flowers, red, white or pink poinsettias, the December birth flower, symbolise good cheer and success and are said to bring wishes of mirth and celebration.
All of which should auger well for the festive season.
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