Winter Color: The Poinsettia
The Poinsettia plant is native to Central America and is named for Joel Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to the United States around 1828. The actual flower is quite small and is surrounded by colorful leaves called bracts. The Aztecs used the dye from the bracts in their textiles and cosmetics. The sap was used to treat fevers.
The use of the poinsettia at Christmas is believed to have started in the 1600’s by Franciscan priests living in Mexico. Like the Christmas cactus, the poinsettia begins to bloom and show it’s colors as the days grow shorter. Their bright color and star shape bracts were used in the celebration of the nativity procession called the Fiesta of Santa Pesebre.
Yet somehow, as the holiday season approaches, I find the Legend of the Poinsettia to be a much more believable story.
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This is really gorgeous and I bet even MORE so in real life.
Thank you! The posted image is pretty close to the original, but you’re right- the scanner image isn’t quite as sharp as the original. I’m not very good with image editors, either.
This was an interesting experiment with color. I ended up using some greens (I never thought I’d use) to create the top plant. It looked very washed out without them, but I am happy with the results.
-Lisa