| Caption | The plant westerners call Ponsettia is a native of the semi tropical regions of Mexico, first described by the naturalist Humbold. The Aztecs called it cuetlaxochitl flower that wilts in their Nahuatl tongue and revered it for the curative properties of its milk and its usefulness as a source of dye. The Spanish priests in Mexico used it to decorate Nativity scenes. The name poinsettia derives from the surname of the US ambassador to Mexico who sent some plants home to South Carolina one Christmas and who later dedicated his life to its propagation and marketing as a living symbol of Christmas. The plant when potted usually only survives one season and not a all as a cut plant. |
