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The Story & Legend of the Poinsettia
The Poinsettia is native to Central America and flourished in an area of Southern Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon.

The Poinsettia may have remained a regional plant if it had not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851). He was appointed the first US Ambassador to Mexico (1825-1829) by President Madison. Poinsett was fascinated by botany and maintained his own hothouses on his Greenville, SC plantations where he began propagating the plants and giving them to friends. Around 1836 the plant became known as “Poinsettia” recognizing Poinsett who first brought the plant to the USA.

A Charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. She and her cousin Pedro walked to the chapel when Pedro said that even the most humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in His eyes. Pepita sadly gathered a handful of weeds and fashioned them into a bouquet. As she entered the chapel and approached the altar, she remembered Pedro’s words and felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw were certain they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.

From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season and thus, the legend of the Poinsettia was born.