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Mexico

North America

Photos of Mexico

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The poinsettia, the traditional holiday plant, is native to Mexico and Central America and is found in the wild in mid-elevation tropical dry forests and on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. The Aztecs used the plant for red dye and for medicinal purposes. The poinsettia’s association with Christmas dates back to the 17th century when Franciscan friars in Mexico used them in holiday celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern came to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem and the red color Jesus’s sacrifice at the crucifixion. The plant derives its name from the first US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. In 1825, while visiting Taxco, he became fascinated with the plants and sent some to his home in South Carolina. Poinsett, a botanist, propagated the plants and gave them to friends and to botanical gardens. In 1833, the plant was named after him. Robert Buist, a nurseryman, received some of Poinsett’s plants and is believed to be the first person to sell the plant in the US. Poinsettias became popular beginning in the early 1900s and remain synonymous as a holiday decoration in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America. Picture courtesy of USDA/Peggy Greb
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