Joel Roberts Poinsett.
From the Library of Congress.
Taxco, Mexico-December, 1828- One tradition holds that Joel Roberts Poinsett was out on a walk when he first noticed the unusual plant. This bright shrub grew wild, right along the road he traveled. It had colorful red appendages that appeared to be leaves at a first glance, but closer examination revealed that they were altered enough to be identified as bracts. Clustered in the center of these bracts, were numerous small yellow flowers, known as cyathia. This exotic plant seemed out of place. The mountainous area near Taxco was famous for its silver mines, not for its native flora.
Another version of this story takes place a few years later in the church of Santa Prisca in Taxco . His first glance of the strange plant was along the altar inside the church. Yet another account, also in a different year and different part of Mexico notes that Poinsett had previously noticed the plant because of its use by locals in various events or celebrations.
Regardless of which story is true, this much is factual. While in Mexico in the early 19th century, Poinsett saw the plant and took some cuttings. It is from these cuttings that the flower made its’ appearance in the states. In 1829, the plant debuted at the Exposition of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to much acclaim. Of course it was given a proper English botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima. By 1835 it was better known as Poinsettia pulcherrima in honor of the man who had exported it to the U.S.
Today, Poinsettias have become synonymous with the Yuletide season. The sales of this plant often outshine the total annual sales of any other flowering plant. An estimated 60 to 70 million are sold annually, most of this in the weeks before Christmas. In recognition of its’ popularity Congress has declared December 12 as National Poinsettia Day.
Besides being an avid botanist, Charleston-born Poinsett was an important statesman. He served in the House of Representatives, was the first U.S. Minister to Mexico during a tumultuous revolution, and acted as Secretary of War under Van Buren. As an active Mason, he was involved in many Lodges and is credited with helping establish Freemasonry in Mexico . Poinsett was also one of the founders of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful Arts, a precursor to the Smithsonian. By the time of his death in 1851 he had a long distinguished career. In tribute to his many accomplishments, a state park and many local landmarks bear his name. In 1989 he was further honored by being inducted in the S.C. Hall of Fame.
Yet, his most public tribute seems to be his association with the plant he took back from Taxco . What he would have thought of this irony can probably best be summed up by Poinsett himself. He would often tell his friends traveling abroad to bring home a sampling of the indigenous flora with them; “If any one of these (plants) succeeds, then the tourist will be rewarded by a consciousness of having conferred lasting benefit to his country.”
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