The Tradition of Pointsettias
December 23, 2008
An article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper this morning focused attention on the flower that seems to symbolize the Christmas holidays for many Americans - the Poinsettia. These traditionally green plants with the bright red bracts represent the most purchased plant in the U.S. and is a mainstay foe the Ecke Family that developed many varieties and were the first to take the native Mexican Euphorbia pulcherrima, a plant growing outdoors in Central America and Mexico, and develop it in to the beautiful plant that it is today. For a long time the family's methods of propagation were closely guarded, but today other growers have copied them with some success.
The name of Poinsettia was given in honor of the First U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, who, while visiting the Taxco area in 1828, was intrigued by the brilliant red blooms. He sent some plants back to his plantation in South Carolina and began propagating the plants and giving them to friends. It was in the early 1900s that the Ecke family of southern California grew them commercially.
Today that are many different colors of Poinsettias. Mostly all, if not all of these varieties have been developed by the Ecke family and there web site is worth a visit if you want good information about the history and the care and tending of your poinsettias. http://www.pauleckepointsettis.com/
You can also visit the Los Angeles Times web site, http://www.latimes.com/ , and check out the current challenges being met by the Ecke growers.
An article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper this morning focused attention on the flower that seems to symbolize the Christmas holidays for many Americans - the Poinsettia. These traditionally green plants with the bright red bracts represent the most purchased plant in the U.S. and is a mainstay foe the Ecke Family that developed many varieties and were the first to take the native Mexican Euphorbia pulcherrima, a plant growing outdoors in Central America and Mexico, and develop it in to the beautiful plant that it is today. For a long time the family's methods of propagation were closely guarded, but today other growers have copied them with some success.
The name of Poinsettia was given in honor of the First U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, who, while visiting the Taxco area in 1828, was intrigued by the brilliant red blooms. He sent some plants back to his plantation in South Carolina and began propagating the plants and giving them to friends. It was in the early 1900s that the Ecke family of southern California grew them commercially.
Today that are many different colors of Poinsettias. Mostly all, if not all of these varieties have been developed by the Ecke family and there web site is worth a visit if you want good information about the history and the care and tending of your poinsettias. http://www.pauleckepointsettis.com/
You can also visit the Los Angeles Times web site, http://www.latimes.com/ , and check out the current challenges being met by the Ecke growers.
posted by shirley harry at 7:52 AM
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